The first Mortal Kombat movie images have been released alongside plot details
Film hits cinemas and HBO Max on April 16
Warner Bros. has released the first images of its upcoming Mortal Kombat film alongside details of the movie’s cast, crew and plot.
Scheduled for a simultaneous release in cinemas and on streaming service HBO Max on April 16, the film is helmed by Simon McQuoid, making his feature directorial debut, and produced by James Wan (Aquaman), Todd Garner (Into the Storm), E. Bennett Walsh (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and McQuoid.
Featuring film, TV and martial arts talent, the cast includes Lewis Tan (Deadpool 2) as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee (The Meg) as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson (Bombshell) as Kano, Tadanobu Asano (Midway) as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl) as Jackson Briggs, Ludi Lin (Aquaman) as Liu Kang, Chin Han (Skyscraper) as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim (Star Trek Beyond) as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, and Hiroyuki Sanada (Skyscraper) as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion.
Warner has also released the following plot details:
In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
While it was poorly received by critics, the original Mortal Kombat movie grossed over $120 million worldwide following its release in 1995. Its sequel, 2007’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, grossed $50 million.
The Mortal Kombat video game franchise launched in 1992. According to co-creator Ed Boon, it had sold some 46 million units prior to the release of the most recent series entry, April 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11. And Boon said in October 2020 that Mortal Kombat 11 had sold eight million copies.
Warner Bros. Games released Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, the “definitive” version of the fighting game, for consoles, PC and Stadia in November 2020.
It includes the base game, Kombat Pack 1 featuring six playable characters (Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, Sindel, The Joker, Terminator T-800, Spawn), the Aftermath story expansion featuring three playable characters (Fujin, Sheeva, RoboCop), and Kombat Pack 2 featuring three more fighters (Mileena, Rain, Rambo).
VGC’s 4/5 Mortal Kombat 11 review said the NetherRealm developed title’s “close to being the best all-round fighting game package, but falls just short due to an aggressive need for currency grinding to unlock content”.