Simon McQuoid, director of the most recent live-action reboot film Mortal Kombat, recently elaborated on the various meanings of blood and its relevance to the martial arts story.In an exclusive with EW, McQuoid discussed how the symbolism around blood will be utilized throughout the upcoming film saying, "Blood represents family, blood represents a connection. Blood represents who we are. Without getting too overcomplicated, what we did is use blood executionally." While the plot of McQuoid's bloody battle royale remains mysterious, fans can expect blood to represent recurring themes of heritage and legacy once the film makes its debut in theatres and on HBO Max on April 16, 2021.
The film's writer Greg Russo previously promised that all bloodshed in the movie will faithfully honor its video-game origins. "I can say for sure that the fatalities that we're gonna put into the film are from the game," Russo explained. "We're not going to come up with some new things that we haven't seen before, but at the same time, if we're going to do it to use that device, we want to make sure that it's not just in there just to be in there and have that point to the story."
Those familiar with the video game series first published by Midway Games in 1992 will surely be expecting some brutal fight scenes and graphic depictions of violence in the film. Particularly, during the famous 'fatalities' (aka, basic finishing moves) that allow the winning player to kill their opponent in gruesomely creative ways, exclusive to the style of their chosen character.
Returning to the screen are familiar characters: Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kano, Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs and Sonya Blade, as seen in recently published official photos. The film will also introduce a new character to the Mortal Kombat world played by actor and martial artist Lewis Tan (Wu Assassins, Into the Badlands). The film currently sits at an R-rating, with McQuoid having said that he "didn't want to get into NC-17 territory," regardless of how easy it would be to accomplish in a movie about fighting to the death.
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 April 16.
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Twitter