The main news this week here in the world of terror was the revelation of several initial images of the James Wan-produced Mortal combat feature film, which hits theaters and HBO Max in April 16, 2021. The trailer, we were promised, will arrive soon and, to keep them going today, we have received the official synopsis of the plot.
Here’s everything you need to know about the “R” rated action movie!
From New Line Cinema comes the explosive new cinematic adventure “Mortal Kombat”, inspired by the blockbuster video game franchise, which most recently had the most successful video game launch in its history, Mortal Kombat 11. The film is directed by the award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid, marking his debut as a director, and produced by James Wan (Films from the universe “The Conjuring”, “Aquaman,”), Todd Garner (“Into the Storm,” “Tag”), McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh (“Men in Black: International,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”).
In “Mortal Kombat”, MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to being beaten for money, has no knowledge of his heritage – or why the emperor of Outworld Shang Tsung sent your best warrior, Under zero, a Cryomancer from another world, to hunt Cole. Fearing for the safety of his family, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade in the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who carries the same strange dragon that Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself in the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, which grants sanctuary to those who carry the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and dishonest mercenary Kano, as he prepares to take on Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high-risk battle across the universe. But Cole will be pressed hard enough to unlock his arcana—The immense power within your soul — in time to save not only your family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talents spanning the worlds of cinema, television and martial arts. The set includes Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2”, “Wu Assassins” from Netflix) as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg”) as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson (“Bombshell”) as Kano; Tadanobu Asano (“Midway”) as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks (TV “Supergirl”) as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Ludi Lin (“Aquaman”) as Liu Kang; with Chin Han (“Skyscraper”) as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim (“Star Trek Beyond”) as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada (“Skyscraper”) like Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpio. Also presented are Max Huang like Kung Lao; Sisi Stringer like Mileena; Matilda Kimber like Emily Young; and Laura Brent like Allison Young.
McQuoid directed from a script Greg Russo and Dave Callaham (“Wonder Woman 1984”), from a story of Oren Uziel (“Mortal Kombat: Rebirth”) and Russo, based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Jeremy Stein and Larry Kasanoff served as executive producers.
Bringing the hugely popular property to the big screen, McQuoid led a team of Australian and American filmmakers, including director of photography Germain McMicking (“True Detective”, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”), production designer Naaman Marshall (“Underwater,” “Servant”), editors Dan Lebental (“Spider-Man: Away from Home”) and Scott Gray (“Top of the Lake,” “Daffodils”), visual effects supervisor Chris Godfrey (“Hacksaw Ridge”) and costume designer Cappi Ireland (“Lion”, “The Rover”). The music is by Benjamin Wallfisch (“Blade Runner 2049,” the “TI” films).
New Line Cinema features an Atomic Monster / Broken Road production, “Mortal Kombat”. The film opens nationwide on April 16, 2021 in theaters and will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max for 31 days from its theatrical release. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
