Mortal Kombat was originally scheduled to hit theaters in January of 2021, as per Deadline. Garner’s Tweet is the first announcement that its release has been postponed. He also mentioned, however, that the cast and crew are using this time to do some additional shooting on the film, which was originally planned to take place in March.
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This marks the latest big delay for a mainstream movie in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is currently up-ending much of the American film industry. In the wake of last week’s presidential election, which is likely to come hand in hand with big changes to how the nation is addressing the pandemic, this effectively places the Mortal Kombat movie in limbo for the time being… or for as long as it takes its backers to get sick of losing money and stick it on VOD.
The new Mortal Kombat stars Ludi Lin (Aquaman, Black Mirror), Joe Taslim (The Raid), Tadanobu Asano (Hogun in all the Thor movies), Jessica McNamee (Sirens, Battle of the Sexes), Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl), Josh Lawson (House of Lies), Chin Han (Skyscraper), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine), Sisi Stringer (the 2020 Children of the Corn remake), Lewis Tan (Iron Fist, Deadpool 2), and stuntwoman Elissa Cadwell making her acting debut. Simon McQuoid directs, from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham (The Expendables, Zombieland: Double Tap). Garner co-produces alongside James Wan, the creator of the Saw and Insidious horror franchises.
Official details about the new MK film’s plot are thin on the ground. Leaks seem to indicate that the new film is effectively a full reboot of the series, set on Shang Tsung’s island during the latest Mortal Kombat martial-arts tournament. Another leak, backed up by news of the film’s casting, claims that MK mainstay Johnny Cage doesn’t have a big part in the movie. Instead, he’s replaced by newcomer Cole Turner, possibly played by Tan, a former professional boxer who attends the Mortal Kombat tournament in search of his missing wife. Turner subsequently ends up as the audience viewpoint character in what could be the last struggle for Earthrealm. Greg Russo has denied that, however, and claimed last year on Twitter to have “big plans for J.C.”
This is the third live-action Mortal Kombat movie, following 1997’s Mortal: Kombat Annihilation. While MK:A actually did make money, reportedly taking in $51 million on a $30 million budget, it was a hilarious critical misfire, currently boasting a stone cold 2% score on Rotten Tomatoes. (It’s actually #57 on the 100 Worst Movies of All Time list that RT maintains, just behind Baby Geniuses.) As a result, attempts to make a third live-action MK were in development hell for the next 20 years. The film in its current state has reportedly been in the works off and on since 2010, after Warner Brothers acquired the rights to the Mortal Kombat franchise from its previous owner, the defunct Chicago-based studio Midway.
In the meantime, Mortal Kombat fans can look forward to the debut of MK 11 Ultimate on November 17th, which adds three new characters to the roster, including Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo. Yes, really.
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Source: Todd Garner/Twitter
