The long-awaited Mortal Kombat movie reboot is coming our way next year and fans who have been waiting to see the iconic video game series back on the big screen should expect good things. This, according to screenwriter Greg Russo, who recently hyped up the movie on Twitter, promising that Mortal Kombat has never looked so good, and that's including the more recent games in the franchise. Also, it's going to be bloody.
Greg Russo is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, but he is the man who finally managed to crack this long-gestating reboot. Whatever he put on the page got this thing moving in the right direction after many failed attempts. Recently, a fan of Mortal Kombat took to Twitter expressing a desire to see a new movie, one that can capture the feeling of the cutscenes from the games. Russo, in response, offered some assurance. Here's what he had to say.
"Already done. (and bloody too). Cutscenes? Forget cutscenes, my man. MK has never looked this good. 01/15/21 #MortalKombat"
It has already been revealed that the new Mortal Kombat will be R-rated, so the blood and gore can be pushed more than with the previous version of the franchise from the 90s. And, no disrespect to those movies, but visual effects weren't at a point that allowed for the filmmakers to maximize the potential of these characters and this universe on screen. Things have evolved to a point now that these fighters' powers and the world they inhabit can more faithfully, and violently, be brought to life.
Modern horror master James Wan, the man behind the Conjuring universe and director of Aquaman, is producing the reboot, with Simon McQuoid making his feature directorial debut. The cast includes Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), Chin Han (Shang Tsung), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Josh Lawson (Kano), Tadanobu Asano (Raiden), Mehcad Brooks (Jax) and Sisi Stringer (Mileena). Lewis Tan is in the lead role, but who precisely he is playing remains a mystery. Filming wrapped back in December, which means this project was able to avoid the widespread production shutdown Hollywood is facing right now. With any luck, the post-production process can remain on schedule as well.
Recent adaptations like Rampage, Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog have gone a long way in ending the video game movie curse. For years, Hollywood struggled to find a way to bring these stories to the screen in a way that satisfied audiences and fans of the source material. 1995's Mortal Kombat was one of the earliest attempts at bringing a popular video game to theaters. Even though it was a big financial success that spawned a sequel, it leaves a lot to be desired when subjected to modern scrutiny. If Greg Russo is right, that won't be the case with this reboot. Mortal Kombat is set to hit theaters on January 15, 2021. Feel free to check out the full exchange from Greg Russo's Twitter.