Warner Bros. Pictures has released a behind-the-scenes video detailing the production and casting for Mortal Kombat ahead of its theatrical release in the United States.

The video, titled "Kombat Evolution," opens with director Simon McQuoid reflecting on Mortal Kombat's arcade roots and how adapting its iconic fighters and finishers cinematically meant that he could "bring these characters to a level that hadn't really been seen before." Actors Jessica McNamee (Sonya) and Josh Lawson (Kano) praised the film's fight scenes, while McQuoid admits that, in order to make every brutal fatality hit home, "we needed to cast some really, amazing talented people to make it feel real."

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From there, the featurette focuses on three actors and their respective characters: Lewis Tan's Cole Young, Joe Taslim's Sub-Zero and Hiroyuki Sanada's Scorpion. During Tan's section, the actor discussed how he finds parallels between martial arts and acting, as both activities depend on "expression" to make the viewer believe in a scene's effectiveness. Similarly, McQuoid attributes Taslim's casting as Sub-Zero to the "pure athleticism" in his physicality, with both he and Mechad Brooks (Jax) revealing that Taslim fought so fast that he actually had to slow down his moves for the camera. Taslim, in turn, described how one uses fight choreography as a form of acting, explaining that "in a drama, you have the lines, but in a fight, it's just... the agony, the struggle, the pain, those are our lines."

On bringing Scorpion and Sub-Zero's iconic rivalry to life, McQuoid also talked about casting actors who could successfully transfer their martial arts experience into a performance. Sanada concurred, stating that he "tried to make a contrast between Sub-Zero and Scorpion, a little mixture between game and authentic Japanese style."

Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23.

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Source: YouTube