The 1995 movie adaptation of the classic video game franchise, Mortal Kombat, has become a beloved cult classic. From its amazing fight choreography, legendary performances by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung, Christopher Lambert as Raiden, and Robin Shou as Liu Kang, and of course, a theme song that still makes fans jam to this day, 1995's Mortal Kombat is one of the few video game movies worth watching.
While many still enjoy the original film, due to some of the more dated aspects of the film, those same people are just as excited for the upcoming reboot from Warner Bros. Pictures which is slated for 2021 release. Here is everything we know thus far about the reboot!
12 Fatalities Are Coming To The Big Screen!
One common criticism about the original 1995 film was that the few fatalities that were shown were pretty tame in order to keep a PG-13 rating. According to the filmmakers behind the 2021 reboot, Mortal Kombat fans will get to see the bloody and gory kills that made the franchise so famous in the first place.
11 Mortal Kombat 2021 Is Being Produced By The Legendary James Wan
While he's not in the director's chair, James Wan– who has directed blockbusters such as Aquaman (2018), Furious 7, The Conjuring movies, and the first Saw film– is heavily involved as a producer on the Mortal Kombat reboot. With a capable filmmaker like him assisting director Simon McQuaid, the reboot should be in good hands.
10 This Movie Has Had Quite The Development Cycle
The momentum for the 2021 reboot began with a short fan film that went viral. This in turn led to the creation of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, an online series which lasted two seasons. The creators of Legacy were meant to develop the new movie, but they backed out in 2013. James Wan then joined in 2015 and the movie did not finish production until 2020.
9 Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Will Be Replaced By Chin Han As Shang Tsung
The Man In The High Castle actor's performance as Shang Tsung was so iconic that he returned to play the character again in the Mortal Kombat: Legacy web-series and most recently returned for the Mortal Kombat 11 videogame. While we would all love to see him again, we are excited to see what Chin Han brings to the table as the villain.
8 A Cast We Didn't Know We Needed Until Now
Fans had many ideas for castings, but with the reveals of actors like Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Joe Taslim of The Raid: Redemption as Sub-Zero, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, fans are drooling for the first look at these characters, especially Sanada.
7 Johnny Cage Is Confirmed To Be In The Movie
The fan-favorite character who always steals the show in the games is the movie-star turned world saver, Johnny Cage. Fans are hoping for someone like Chris Pratt or Ryan Reynolds as the character but no information about the character has been revealed other than a writer/producer stating, "Big plans for J.C. Can't say much more than that."
6 The Reboot Could Be The Start Of A New Franchise
Back in 1995, the Mortal Kombat film had only a couple of games to work with and those titles had minimal plot and lore to adapt. Now in 2020, there are eleven main entries in the franchise, with stories and character arcs that rival that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so James Wan and company have a lot of material to work with!
5 Lewis Tan's Role Is Currently Unknown
The British-Singaporean actor's casting in the movie has had fans excited to see which role he will play after surprising viewers with his talent on Into The Badlands, but no information about his role has been given. Is he Reptile? Shao Kahn? Fujin? Johnny Cage? Unfortunately, it would seem we have to wait to find out who Lewis Tan will be playing.
4 The Logo For The Movie Is Familiar Yet Refreshing
For the most part, most of the Mortal Kombat games stick to variations of the same dragon insignia for the franchise, which the 1995 movie even used. That said, the new movie presents a slight twist of the famous Mortal Kombat logo that's both iconic enough to please fans of the original yet stand on its own as a unique and distinguished design for the 2021 reboot.
3 Mortal Kombat 2021 Is Simon McQuoid's Feature Length Directorial Debut
It would seem that James Wan and co. wish to give a rookie director his big break as according to his filmography, Simon McQuoid has only directed one other project, a short film. James Wan has brought on many short filmmakers to big projects in the past, most notably David F. Sandberg, so perhaps he sees something special in McQuoid.
2 There Will Be No White-Washing
The characters in Mortal Kombat are rich and filled with potential for the big screen, which is why fans were pleased when it was confirmed by a fan and a producer on the film that the 2021 reboot will, "have Asian actors as Asian characters." The filmmakers are apparently taking great care about the nationality of these iconic characters.
1 When Will The Movie Be Coming Out?
An excellent question what with the delays of many films and shows currently in production at the moment, but it was last reported that the Mortal Kombat reboot was slated for a release of January 15th, 2021. January is infamous for being the month where the worst films come out but perhaps this will break that trend?