The first Mortal Kombat movie is one of the most well-regarded video game films of all time. Cinematic adaptations of the franchise have been mostly dormant outside of 1997’s universally panned Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and the well-received mini-series Mortal Kombat: Legacy in 2011. However, just after rumors began swirling last week about the new Mortal Kombat movie, series co-creator and current creative director at NetherRealm Studios Ed Boon stepped in to dispel some of the falsehoods.
Boon recently tweeted that there was “a lot of BS information floating around about the next Mortal Kombat movie” and that people should not “believe everything [they] read.” This comes a few days after movie producer Todd Garner also shot down the Mortal Kombat movie rumors by tweeting that “nothing is happening with the movie at this time, so all news is premature. Sorry!”
Regardless of whether or not they are true, the leaked rumors surrounding the next film were a huge departure from the established lore. ThatHashTagShow reported earlier this week about the proposed plot and characters. It was allegedly supposed to star a new character, Cole Turner, a determined, widowed boxer who “cares more about his young daughter than anything.” He would fight along Sonya Blade and Jackson “Jax” Briggs.
Series staples like Kano, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Shang Tsung, Kabal, and Mileena were also rumored to appear along with more obscure fighters like Drahmin, Nitara, and Reiko. All were, more or less, supposed to be faithful to their previous depictions. Raiden, however, was set to be a 14-year-old boy “who leads and trains the Earth team in the Underworld,” which is a big deviation from the typical old, wise man he is usually portrayed as. The rumors do not list Scorpion or Sub-Zero, but it’s unlikely any Mortal Kombat movie would leave out the franchise’s most iconic duo.
Given the speculation and words from Boon and Garner, it’s hard to parse between facts and fiction. Some of the leaks are vague and obvious enough to be plausible, while some sound a little outlandish. It’s also possible that the rumor is based on an old draft, if this is based on anything at all. As is usually the case, it’s safer to wait for more official announcements.
Although some names have been attached to the film for quite some time now. Variety reported in November 2016 that it would be produced by Furious 7 director James Wan, written by Greg Russo, and directed by Simon McQuoid, who is best known for directing commercials.
