The new Mortal Kombat movie, based on the popular video game franchise, will feature a completely original fighter in the form of Cole Young, played by Into the Badlands actor Lewis Tan.
Photos and details about the new live action movie in Entertainment Weekly provided an introduction to the new character. "When we first meet Cole, he's in a really bad spot," said Tan. "He's down on his luck. He's kind of a washed-up MMA fighter who used to be a champion, who used to believe in himself, who used to have a lot of hope in his career. And it's all gone down the drain."
Tan went on to explain, "It's a very interesting place for a hero to start, and I think that, along the journey of Mortal Kombat and Cole discovering where he comes from, you're introduced to all these other iconic characters and elements that everybody loves so dearly."
While Cole knows nothing of his heritage, he does sport the tell-tale birthmark on his chest in the shape of the Mortal Kombat symbol. While Tan wouldn't reveal how the birthmark connects with the character's origin, he did state that "it's a unique symbol," and that it "will eventually tie into the journey that he's going on." Young will likely learn more about his past when cryomancer Sub-Zero is dispatched by Shang Tsung to hunt him down.
Tan is no stranger to martial arts, having played characters in numerous Netflix shows including Lu Xin in Wu Assassins, Zhou Cheng in Iron Fist and Galus Chau in Into the Badlands. As a British actor, martial artist and model, Tan prides himself on performing his own stunts and fully understands the responsibility of being part of such an iconic franchise, particularly in a previously unseen role.
"I've been playing the game since I was a kid," said Tan. "For lack of a better way to describe it, you don't want to mess it up because it's so iconic. You want to bring something new to the table that people haven't seen before, but at the same time, really respect and pay homage to these legendary worlds that were already created."
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