The cast for the Mortal Kombat reboot is finally starting to take shape. It's come to light that Ludi Lin is in talks to play Liu Kang in the long-awaited new adaptation of the classic video game franchise. This project has been kicking around for a very long time but, barring some unforeseen catastrophe, it appears to really be happening this time, with modern horror master James Wan (The Conjuring} producing.

According to a new report, Ludi Lin is currently in negotiations with Warner Bros./New Line for the role of Liu Kang. Should the deal make, Lin would become the second cast member to board the project. Joe Taslim (The Raid) previously boarded the project as Sub-Zero. Lin is known for his roles in Power Rangers and Black Mirror. He worked on the mega-hit Aquaman as well, starring as Captain Murk. As it just so happens, James Wan directed the successful DC Comics adaptation. Apparently, that created a solid relationship and opened this door. Lin also has a couple of movies, Son of the South and Summer Knight, in the can.

The character of Liu Kang is an important one to the Mortal Kombat franchise. He was one of just seven original characters in Midway's original game and was the lead in the 1995 live-action movie, as well as the 1997 sequel, Annihilation. Robin Shou played the part of the martial arts master in both previous live-action adaptations, which were amongst some of the earliest attempts made by Hollywood at bringing video games to the big screen. Yet, it wasn't until very recently that certain studios managed to crack that code, with Warner Bros. being one of them, given the success of Detective Pikachu and, to a slightly lesser degree, Rampage.

No plot details regarding the reboot have been revealed at this time. Writer Greg Russo has talked a bit about his script, in vague terms, saying that it will earn its R-rating and that they used Deadpool as something of a touchstone. The creative team will also be bringing fatalities to the big screen, which have been an important part of the video games since the very beginning. Beyond that, it isn't even clear which of the many characters from the games will be included.

Mortal Kombat was originally released by Midway in 1992. The video game series has since sold more than 26 million copies worldwide across its various titles and recently released a new installment, Mortal Kombat 11, earlier this year. Simon McQuoid, who is known as a commercial director, is making his feature directorial debut with the adaptation. Pre-production is currently underway, with filming set to take place later this year in Australia. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details on the project are made available. Mortal Kombat is currently set to arrive in theaters on March 5, 2021. This news comes to us via Variety.