The cast of Mortal Kombat has grown a bit bigger now that the film has found its Liu Kang, Mileena, and Jax Briggs. Mortal Kombat made its way onto the market in 1992 as an arcade game, but since then there have been several console games as well as a few movies. Even though the 1995 Mortal Kombat and the 1997 Mortal Komat: Annihilation failed to hit the mark with fans and critics, New Line Cinema is now trying to reboot the series.
A Mortal Kombat reboot has been in development for years, but the film really started to make progress once James Wan signed on as a producer. Since then the film has gained Simon McQuoid as a director, gotten a 2021 release date, and started to cast some of the characters. It was reported in March that Joel Edgerton was being eyed for Kato, but that casting decision has yet to be officially confirmed. Joe Taslim was cast as Sub-Zero last month, but now the film has cast three more characters.
According to THR, Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl), Sisi Stringer, and Ludi Lin (Power Rangers) have all been cast in Mortal Kombat. Brooks is set to play Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs, while Stringer and Lin have been cast as Mileena and Liu Kang respectively. The report also claims that Tadanobu Asano (Thor: Ragnarok) is in talks to play Raiden, but he hasn’t officially signed onto the project.
Fans have been waiting a long time for a new Mortal Kombat movie and even longer for one that is faithful to the games. Both of the previous Mortal Kombat movies from the ’90s were PG-13, but McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat will be rated R and include game-accurate fatalities. Not much is known along the lines of the story, but Mortal Kombat will film in Australia with pre-production believed to have started in May.
While there is still a lot unknown about Mortal Kombat, it is a good sign that the film has started casting some of its biggest characters. Jax Briggs, Mileena, and Liu Kang have all been apart of the Mortal Kombat franchise for a long time, with Kang even appearing in the first game back in 1992. The actors themselves will also likely be well-received since Brooks and Lin have already appeared in popular movies and TV shows, however, Mortal Kombat will be Stringer’s acting debut. Getting Asano to play Raiden would also be a popular decision since he is well-known in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That being said, fans will have to wait patiently to find out who else is cast and if Asano joins Mortal Kombat.
More: 5 Things The Mortal Kombat Remake Needs (& 5 Mistakes It Should Avoid)
Source: THR
- Mortal Kombat - 2021 Release Date: 2021-04-23