Mortal Kombat 2 Writer Reveals The Superhero Movie He Believed Was The Next Dark Knight

Before Jeremy Slater became the writer behind Mortal Kombat 2, he once believed that he was helping build the next The Dark Knight. The movie he was working on is Fantastic Four, and here’s what he said about the same while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter.

But there was a good two-year period there where I was walking around very confident. I was like, “You guys, just wait for Fantastic Four. We’re the next Christopher Nolan. We’ve got the next [Dark Knight] trilogy on the way.” You always go in with the highest of hopes and the best of aspirations. But sometimes the projects don’t turn out the way that you dreamed about or envisioned.

Years later, Slater has found redemption with Mortal Kombat 2, directed by Simon McQuoid. The sequel truly embraces the violence and the chaos of the beloved video game, and that’s why it has been performing so well at the box office! Now, let’s look at why Fantastic Four didn’t live up to his expectations at all, and how rough experiences led to his recent successful film, Mortal Kombat 2. 

Why Jeremy Slater’s Fantastic Four Didn’t Become The Dark Knight? 

Jeremy Slater was hopeful about the Fantastic Four reboot that came out in 2015, but after he turned in the first draft, the studio informed him they were bringing in “fresh eyes.” From there, he was disconnected from the production and only realized the changes when he first watched the complete film. He continued,

I worked really extensively with Josh Trank, and I had a great time doing it. I was really creatively fulfilled and excited. I thought I wrote an awesome script, and then I got the call that you almost always get on these big blockbuster movies: “Hey, we’re going to bring in some fresh eyes.” Then the next time you see the movie is when you’re sitting down at the screening three years later. 

So I wasn’t privy to whatever drama happened on set. I wasn’t even really privy to the fact that my entire script had been thrown out. It wasn’t until I was sitting there in that first audience and realizing, Oh no, something happened here. There was nothing in there that remotely resembled what I had set out to do.

This is something that happens frequently to major franchise projects. It’s almost like the abundance of resources allows them to bring in too many creatives on board, and they end up creating a mess. But the lesson from the reception of Fantastic Four was valuable, and he sees it as a necessary turning point that helped him become more adaptable in the industry. 

How Years of Setbacks Shaped Jeremy Slater’s Mortal Kombat 2 

After years of difficult experiences, Jeremy Slater finally found the creative environment that worked in his favor with Mortal Kombat 2. According to him, everyone on board shared the same vision from the very beginning!

So I got lucky with Mortal Kombat II. I was able to get on the same wavelength very early with Simon McQuoid, [producer] Todd Garner and [New Line exec] Dave Neustadter. We were able to form a creative brain trust where we were all rowing in the same direction. We were all trying to make the exact same movie, and when that happens, it’s much easier for the writer to stay creatively involved. 

Through his experience in television, he learned that successful franchise filmmaking depends heavily on collaboration and creative alignment between writers and other creatives. For a long time, he believed that his take was the only “correct” one, but his views have evidently changed, and given us an incredible film like Mortal Kombat 2. 

So, what are your thoughts about his journey? And did you see his impact on the movie while watching Mortal Kombat 2? Let us know. 

Mortal Kombat 2 is currently playing in theaters (USA).