A new Mortal Kombat film is set to be released on March 5, 2021. The film is based on the video game franchise first introduced in 1992 by game developer Midway Games which is later acquired by Warner Bros. The game consists of the best fighters from eighteen different realms to battle on a tournament that, according to the Elder Gods, can decide who can conquer another realm. After the original game, a few sequels were introduced, having the latest installment as Mortal Kombat 11 that is released this year.
Two Mortal Kombat movies have been made. The first one and its namesake, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, was released in 1995. Two years later, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, directed by John R. Leonetti, was released. The making of this film inspired two television series: Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm and Mortal Kombat: Konquest. Also, both directed by Kevin Tancharoen, two web series based on the video game, Mortal Kombat: Legacy and Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, has been produced.
In September this year, Warner Bros.' New Line Cinema has announced that they are already filming the new Mortal Kombat film, having Simon Mcquoid as director and Greg Russo as a scriptwriter. Aquaman director James Wan is one of the producers. The production team chose South Australia as the location for the shoot. Producer Todd Garner shared a photo of the set on Twitter:
What a difference a day makes... pic.twitter.com/IoUPVPjGHR — Todd Garner (@Todd_Garner) October 20, 2019
As what the video game's storyline requires, the movie showcases a diverse international cast, including talents from martial arts, TV, and film. The cast comprises of Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Joe Taslim as Sub Zero, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Josh Lawson as Kano, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Bridges, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, and Lewis Tan (character unrevealed yet).
And another thing about being true to the video game where the film is based, Russo revealed that one of the iconic parts of the game will be included in the big screen - fatalities. He brought up this update through a post on his Twitter account, saying that the film will have an R-rating. He didn't say which parts will have the fatalities and other details about it, so the audience will have to wait and see the movie.
For those who are curious and excited about what the characters will look like, Russo has shared his feelings upon seeing the movie's costumes and weapons.
"Forget the fact that I work on this. If I just stumbled in as a lifelong fan, my jaw would perm be on the floor. What I've seen so far is unreal. That goes for weapon design/makeup too."
On its release date, Mortal Kombat is expected to compete with live-action Masters of the Universe and animated comic adaptation Nimona.
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