After 22 years, we finally have another ‘Mortal Kombat’ movie coming, and now Ludi Lin is in talks to play Liu Kang. The character is a Shaolin warrior from the White Lotus society that has the ability to throw fireballs.
Lin was recently in ‘Striking Vipers,’ one of the season five installments of Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror.’ He is no stranger to franchises either, having been part of 2017’s ‘Power Rangers’ and James Wan’s ‘Aquaman.’ Next, he will appear in the biopic ‘Son of the South’ and the Netflix series ‘The Ghost Bride.’
Meanwhile, Joe Taslim (‘The Raid: Redemption,’ ‘Warrior’) will play Sub-Zero, the ice ninja with deadly eyes hidden behind a gruesome mask.
The premise of this new R-rated outing is below:
“The reboot will center around a washed-up boxer (Cole Turner) that is recruited to help protect Earth (and his daughter). He must join forces with a team of fighters that are locked in an eternal battle with killers from another dimension.”
Also, the character list:
- Cole Turner: A washed up boxer that still puts up a good fight. He loves his daughter Emily and will do anything to protect her. He is recruited to fight in Mortal Kombat and turns out to have a mysterious upbringing.
- Emily: Cole’s 12-year-old daughter who is already a skilled boxing trainer. She proves to be tougher than she looks.
- Kano: The large, rugged Australian ex-special forces turned merc-for-hire wanted by Interpol for arms dealing and drug running. He’s killed a lot of people yet still has a goofy attitude.
- Lord Raiden: The Thunder God leader of the humankind’s contestants in Mortal Kombat. He oversees their training for the tournament.
- Sonya Blade: The tough blonde dressed in military gear and ready to become a stronger champion.
- Jackson “Jax” Bridges: With “arms like cannons” he recruits Cole to the Mortal Kombat tournament.
- Kung Lao: A stoic warrior monk who throws his hat like a deadly frisbee.
- Mileena: The female Outworld assassin dressed in leather armor and wielding deadly sais.
- Shang Tsung: The ageless Outworld general that oversees the tournament and it’s fighters.
Surprisingly absent are Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and even Goro. However, there is still a good chance they appear nonetheless.
Screenwriter Greg Russo (‘Death Note 2,’ ‘Saints Row’) recently had this to say about the characters:
“Can you tease what character you’ve chosen as the entry point for audiences into this universe?” – Interviewer
“That’s a tricky one. I’m not at liberty to completely give it away but I can say certainly that the original seven are important. I think they’re important to any adaptation to this property.” – Greg Russo
Meanwhile, powerhouse Australian actor-director-writer-producer Joel Edgerton is the studio’s top choice to play Kano. Recently, Edgerton served as writer, director, and star of last year’s ‘Boy Erased.’ This year he has the Netflix film ‘The King,’ which he co-wrote with director David Michôd, releasing fall.
Producer James Wan (also Australian) brought on popular commercial director Simon Mcquoid to direct the reboot. The (surprise) Australian filmmaker was one of the most in-demand commercials directors in the business, working on high-profile campaigns for ‘Halo,’ PlayStation, Range Rover, Beats by Dre, and other top brands.
Also, cinematographer Germain McMicking (‘Top of the Lake,’ ‘True Detective’) and supervising art director Tom Nursey (‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,’ ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’) are onboard.
Further, pre-production is currently underway, while filming will start later this year in Adelaide, Australia.
Warner Bros. will release ‘Mortal Kombat’ on March 5, 2021.
Source: Variety