James Wan-Produced ‘Mortal Kombat’ Reboot Moves Up Two Months to January 15, 2021

Dec 11, 2019

After 22 years, we finally have another ‘Mortal Kombat’ movie coming. However, it is coming sooner than expected, shifting up to January 15, 2021, out of March 5, 2021.

Here are the actors and their roles:

  • Tadanobu Asano (‘Silence,’ ‘Thor: Ragnarok’)
    • Lord Raiden, the Thunder God leader of the humankind’s contestants in Mortal Kombat. He oversees their training for the tournament.
  • Mehcad Brooks (‘Supergirl,’ ‘Nobody’s Fool’)
    • Jackson “Jax” Bridges, the Special Forces muscleman with “arms like cannons.” He recruits Cole to the Mortal Kombat tournament.
  • Chin Han (‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ ‘Skyscraper’)
    • Shang Tsung, the ageless Outworld general that oversees the tournament and its fighters
  • Max Huang (‘Sense8,’ ‘Project X-Traction’)
    • Kung Lao, a stoic warrior monk who throws his hat like a deadly frisbee.
  • Josh Lawson (‘House of Lies,’ ‘Superstore’)
    • Kano, the large, rugged Australian ex-special forces turned merc-for-hire. He is wanted by Interpol for arms dealing and drug running. He’s killed a lot of people yet still has a goofy attitude.
  • Ludi Lin (‘Aquaman,’ ‘Black Mirror: Striking Vipers’)
    • Liu Kang, a Shaolin warrior from the White Lotus society that has the ability to throw fireballs.
  • Jessica McNamee (‘The Meg,’ ‘Into the Dark’)
    • Sonya Blade, the tough blonde dressed in military gear and ready to become a stronger champion.
  • Hiroyuki Sanada (‘Westworld,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’)
    • Scorpion, an undead ninja warrior seeking revenge for the person who killed him.
  • Newcomer Sisi Stringer
    • Mileena, the female Outworld assassin dressed in leather armor and wielding deadly sais.
  • Lewis Tan (‘Into the Badlands,’ ‘Wu Assassins’)
    • An undisclosed lead role. But, it is likely the role of 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.
  • Joe Taslim (‘The Raid: Redemption,’ ‘Warrior’)
    • Sub-Zero, the ice ninja with deadly eyes hidden behind a gruesome mask.

Also, professional aerialist and ‘Aquaman’ stunt-woman Elissa Cadwell will be playing Nitara.

Moreover, the premise of this new R-rated outing is below:

“The reboot will center around Cole Turner, a washed-up boxer that is recruited to help protect Earth. He must join forces with a team of fighters that are locked in an eternal battle with killers from another dimension.”

It is unclear if the role of Emily is still in this version of the script. She is Cole Turner’s 12-year-old daughter, a skilled boxing trainer who proves to be tougher than she looks.

Surprisingly absent are Johnny Cage, Kitana, and even Goro. However, there is still a good chance they show up nonetheless. Also, the characters Jarek and Reptile will reportedly appear as well.

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

The original seven comprise of Johnny Cage, Kano, Liu Kang, Raiden, Scorpion, Sonya Blade, and Sub-Zero.

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.

Meanwhile, the crew comprises of cinematographer Germain McMicking (‘Top of the Lake; China Girl,’ ‘True Detective’), costume designer Cappi Ireland (‘Lion,’ ‘Glitch’), editor Scott Gray (‘The Lucky One,’ ‘ Top of the Lake’), production designer Naaman Marshall (‘The Visit,’ ‘Don’t Breathe’) and supervising art director Tom Nursey (‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,’ ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’).

Further, filming is now winding down in Adelaide, Australia.

The Warner Bros. film is only up against Universal’s ‘355’ as of now.