The 2021 reboot ofMortal Kombat,despite multiple pandemic-related issues, is finally nearing its official release. That, in turn, means the hype train is starting up, as indicated by a host of new interviews and screenshots viaEntertainment Weeklythat confirm it will, in fact, have an R rating. This includes the live-action debut ofMK’s trademark Fatalities.
As per the movie’s plot summaries, some of the leaks from last year have proven to be only slightly accurate.MK, 2021 edition, is a(nother)reboot of the series continuity, beginning with the brand-new character Cole Young (Lewis Tan,Into the Badlands). Described by Tan as “kind of a washed-up MMA fighter who used to be a champion,” Cole’s only link to his ancestry comes from a strange birthmark on his chest that resemblesMortal Kombat’s trademark dragon logo.
RELATED:Mortal Kombat 11’s Ed Boon Reveals the Strangest Fighter Request He’s Ever Received
That birthmark ends up drawing Cole into the world of the Mortal Kombat tournament. After hesurvives an encounter with Sub-Zero(Joe Taslim,The Raid), Cole is brought to the temple of Raiden for sanctuary. There, he and other fighters who bear the mark are trained to defeat the coming Outworld invasion.
Last year’s plot leak, which involved Cole’s search for his missing wife, have either been disproven or written out; however, it seemsMKmainstay Johnny Cageis still notably AWOL from both the plot summary and the casting list.
Interestingly,Mortal Kombatseems to treat Cole as a viewpoint character rather than a full-fledged protagonist. In keeping with recent adaptations like the2020 direct-to-video animated filmScorpion’s Revenge,the film also deals heavily with the blood feud between Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada, who appeared briefly inAvengers: Endgame) and the original Sub-Zero. In fact, it begins with a 10-minute fight scene between the two, set before either of them had gained their supernatural powers.
Simon McQuoid toldEWhe was hoping to craft “the best fight sequences done in a movie ever… I wanted to make sure that everyone respected the material, the lore ofMortal Kombat,the fans and the love they have for this.” That, in turn, meant making sure the film was as bloody as the games.
“There are some crazy fatalities,” Tan toldEntertainment Weekly. “There’s a lot of really cool signature moves that you’ll see, a lot of Easter eggs that we snuck into the film, but there aresome really badass fatalitiesthat I can’t wait to see on the big screen. They’re brutal, man. They don’t hold back.”
In addition to Tan as Cole,Mortal Kombatstars Ludi Lin (Aquaman) as Liu Kang, Tadanobu Asano (Hogun in all theThormovies) as Raiden, Jessica McNamee (Sirens) as Sonya, Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl) as Jax Briggs, Josh Lawson (House of Lies) as Kano, Chin Han (Skyscraper) as Shang Tsung,Sisi Stringer (the 2020Children of the Cornremake) as Mileena, and stuntwoman Elissa Cadwell making her acting debut as Nitara.
Mortal Kombatis scheduled for simultaneous release in theatersand on HBO Maxon April 16.
