‘Mortal Kombat’ First Look: Lewis Tan, Hiroyuki Sanada Dole Out Some R-Rated Fatalities
Mortal Kombatis getting ready to dole out some R-rated fatalities. DirectorSimon McQuoid’s new adaptation of the classic video game series is not holding back on the “gore, blood, and fatalities,” the filmmaker said, promising that the upcoming martial arts film is “definitely not gonna get a PG-13 rating.” Get a glimpse of that blood and gore in the newMortal Kombatfirst look images below.
Mortal Kombat First Look
Entertainment Weeklydebuted the first-look images ofMortal Kombat, along with new details about the anticipated martial arts film. Produced by Todd Gardner andAquaman’s James Wan,Mortal Kombatintroduces audiences to the world of the beloved video game (and all its very familiar characters) through the eyes of Cole Young, a brand new character to theMortal Kombatworld played by actor and martial artistLewis Tan(Wu Assassins,Into the Badlands), per EW.
Cole knows nothing of his heritage aside from a mysterious birthmark on his chest, which is in the shape of the Mortal Kombat symbol, which “will eventually tie into the journey that he’s going on,” Tan told EW. It’s the only clue that Cole has when he finds himself on the run from Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), who wields cryomancy powers, on orders from sinister sorcerer and emperor of the realm Outerworld, Shang Tsung (Skyscraper’sChin Han).
Cole meets Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs (Supergirl’sMehcad Brooks), a special forces major with the same mark as Cole, who urges him to seek out Sonya Blade (The Meg’sJessica McNamee). She guides him to the thunderous Elder God known as Lord Raiden (Thor’sTadanobu Asano), who grants sanctuary at his temple to all those who bear the mark. That’s where Cole encounters all the familiar characters from the long-runningMortal Kombatgames: Liu Kang (Power Rangers’Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (actor and stuntmanMax Huang), and Kano (Superstore’sJosh Lawson), who are all there to train for a high-stakes tournament to defeat invaders from Outerworld. Amid all this, there’s a blood feud between the clans of Hanzo (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Bi-Ha/Sub-Zero.
McQuoid is still editing the film, but he assures EW that the film will be rated R, though he “didn’t want to get into NC-17 territory.” He added, “It’s amazing how quickly you may get there. It doesn’t take much.”
Mortal Kombatis scheduled to premiere simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max onApril 16, 2021.
