Mortal Kombat is headed back to the big screen and casting has already begun. Reports have it that everyone’s favorite blue ninja has hopped on board.
James Wan is bringing Mortal Kombat back for another go with first-time feature director Simon McQuoid at the helm. THR has reported that Joe Taslim was just cast as Sub-Zero. Taslim is best known for movies like The Raid and Star Trek: Beyond. This is the first confirmed casting for the movie, which is set to be released in 2021.
James Wan has turned into a mega producer and director, with monster hits like Furious 7 and Aquaman under his belt. McQuoid has directed mostly commercials but is transitioning into films with MK being his directorial debut. Mortal Kombat is being scripted by Greg Russo and produced by Lawrence Kasanoff, a long time MK producer since the days of the first movie. Greg Russo is a new face in Tinseltown, bringing with him a fresh take on the long-gestating reboot.
The Mortal Kombat video game series has been beloved by fans for over twenty-five years. Unfortunately, the property has had mixed reactions in other media. The first Mortal Kombat movie was a huge success and was received quite well by both critics and fans. It’s arguably the first and one of the only decent game-to-movie adaptations.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, however, did not find any success. The movie suffered from recastings, terrible special effects, and a script that left much to be desired. The project managed to kill the movie series upon arrival. The property has since seen several attempts to revive the cinematic universe. Mortal Kombat: Legacy, a popular web series, started to turn heads in 2011.
James Wan is great at his craft and gives hope to this new movie. With a bunch of new players taking a crack at the script and direction, hopefully, we finally get a movie deserving of the MK name.
Extra points if we also get another insanely good soundtrack like the original movie.
