Is this the first promo poster from the next Mortal Kombat? Following up on our Ed Boon Twitter Mystery update -- what might be the first promotional poster image for a new Mortal Kombat sequel! [Image Source: AllGamesBeta]

What's black and white and read all over? Ed Boon's twitter feed (@noobde) since he updated his avatar and profile background! [Update: Who's Next? Is This The First Promo Poster For Mortal Kombat Sequel?]

In what is sure to go down as one of the most compelling moments of the hype train -- the NetherRealm Studios Project Lead has switched his old question mark avatar out for a white circle on black.

The cryptic meaning behind the geometric development is too vague for us to nail down any definitive theories, but the Mortal Kombat franchise is certainly no stranger to circles.

With less than a week to go in the Boon prompted countdown to June 2nd -- this could signal a place holder for the long awaited return of the classic MK dragon logo! There's also Shinnok's Amulet -- a suitably Euclidean artefact at the centre of the original Mortal Kombat 4 plot -- which we expect to see reprised in some fashion in a sequel. [Relate Article: Kountdown: 10 Returning Kombatants Ready to Kontinue!]

NetherRealm Studios Project Lead Ed Boon is tweeting down to something in June. The cryptic countdown hit 24 today, and it's got Gameinformer feeling just a little self-conscious.

In February; the first concrete news of a new Mortal Kombat game project came - surprisingly - via major voice cast addition: Kiefer Sutherland [full story]. With Warner Brothers keeping news on a tight leash, it seems our clearest indication of the game being a sequel has again come from the acting talent involved.

Karen Strassman -- the voice actress behind Kitana & Mileena in the 2011 reboot -- has added "Mortal Kombat 2" to her list of video game voice acting credits [pictured below]. Even more interesting, her involvement seems to have switched from Leading to Supporting role(s). Could this be an indication of the future for two of the series' most iconic ladies?

If you're wondering what that crunching sound is, it's just the copious helpings of salt we're taking this story with. Coming out of last weeks Wondercon; it seems Furious Fanboys has inferred a possible announcement of an Injustice sequel.

The supposed reveal came during a DC All Access panel showing of Batman: Arkham Knight and allegedly led to confusion about its release:

While people were applauding and cheering, they specifically say that Batman: Arkham Knight would be released later this year. After that statement is what most people didn’t hear, and they said to prepare for the return of Injustice. The “not a 2014 title” statement applied to the new Injustice, not the Batman sequel. No other details about the new Injustice, such as who is developing it, was revealed but it is apparently on the way…just not this year.

When 24: Live Another Day star Kiefer Sutherland told IGN he'd completed work on a mystery Mortal Kombat game [original story] -- Mortal Kombat Online turned to the MKOmmunity to narrow down which character he might be!

2011's reboot Mortal Kombat set the story in motion for a return to the plot of Mortal Kombat 4 - and it was there we looked for prime suspects. Our User Poll narrowed in on characters who didn't have a prominent voice-actor in the most recent game, and might find their way into an all new, shuffled cast.

It should be noted: We don't know what the unspecified game is, or any of the characters who will appear in it! This was merely an educated guess based on the likelihood of a sequel -- supported in part by the already over-active rumor mill.

In a case of he said, they said; Italian gaming site Games.it is reporting a listing for "Mortal Kombat 10" via online store Oz Games Shop.

The Australian online retailer is reported to have since pulled the listing, which included a November 22 release date across all platforms. This includes: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC & PSVita.

Exciting, though it may be, it's not unusual for retailers to set up place holding pages for anticipated future products. Acknowledgment of an expected sequel has been noted for quite some time. The most substantial news broke in February; when Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland revealed his contribution to voice work in an unspecified Mortal Kombat video game [full story].

Update (Mar. 20): Oz Games Shop (@ozgameshop) have denied the rumor, telling Mortal Kombat Online (via Twitter):

Rumors of an anticipated Mortal Kombat sequel have been circling for quite some time, but IGN may have cracked the first concrete confirmation of the game's current production.

Kiefer Sutherland has reportedly made reference to completing voice work for Mortal Kombat during an interview about his role in the latest Metal Gear Solid [V: The Phantom Pain].

Comparing the parts, the 24 star told IGN, "I did Mortal Kombat, and that's such a huge game, but it’s so not like [MGS5]." Elaborating, Sutherland said he completed his Kombat role "... pretty quickly..." -- a contrast to working on Metal Gear Solid.

With Metal Gear's propensity for ambitious, spiralling character content, the recently reported 2 hour campaign mode may not indicate an accurate scope of contrast between the two roles. Which begs the question -- if Sutherland is speaking of a new game, what role will he take?

2011's franchise reboot took the Mortal Kombat plot back to the original "Trilogy" franchise, leading most speculation to a similar pseudo-remake of 1997's Mortal Kombat 4. The plot of that game revolved around the return of fallen Elder God Shinnok, whose evil had allowed him to rule the Netherrealm. Could the sometimes sinister Sutherland be the voice of MK's devil? Join the speculation on the forums.

Even before Mortal Kombat: Legacy wrapped its short online run [last year], rumors of an inevitable big screen return for the Dragon Logo have run rife. After months without news, plot details have been [allegedly] unearthed in an exclusive update from horror movie super-site, Bloody Disgusting.

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Hot on the tails of the Sonya confirmation story, there is some good evidence that Kitana is also confirmed.

On the personal webpage of Brenda Barrie (the actress who did the motion capture for Wonder Woman and Catwoman in MK vs. DC Universe), there was indication that she was going to take up the role as the Edenian Princess and that the game was to be released on December 25, 2010.

Since then, however, the page has been altered.

It seems likely that she spilled the beans a little early and was asked by Warner Bros to remove the information. Still, both Sonya and Kitana fans have reason to rejoice now, as it seems a sure thing that their favorite characters have made it into the game in some form.

A big thanks to fellow fansites FDMK and MK Universe for the news and screencaps!