So, what exactly is going on with the new Mortal Kombat film reboot? Well, aside from a select few, it seems like nobody really knows. News recently broke that claimed to reveal a list of character breakdowns from the upcoming film. Considering that news from the reboot has been scarce, fans were eager for any information. The breakdowns revealed a lot of surprising details about the movie, and not all of the news was embraced. Of course, producer James Wan publicly came out and said not to believe everything that was reported. He then said the movie was still in early development and hadn't started location scouting or casting yet. Many took this to mean that the breakdowns were fake and moved on.
Still, he didn't say that anything specifically wasn't true, he just said that nothing official was happening yet. So, it's possible that the breakdowns were either accurate or based on real information. When it comes down to it, whether they're real or fake, the breakdowns have given fans the best idea yet of what the movie could look like. If it's a hoax, it's an incredibly detailed one. Otherwise, there have only been vague rumors to rely on. Considering how many times this project has started and stopped, it's impossible to tell what's real, what's fake and what's just old news. With that being said, a Mortal Kombat movie is in active development. Here are all the rumors (and a few supposed truths) that are swirling around the mystery reboot.
15 NO SCORPION OR SUB ZERO
Yellow and blue-clad ninjas are essential to Mortal Kombat. The two arch enemies/sometimes allies are the most recognizable characters from the entire series. So, it was a little shocking when the character breakdowns were released for the upcoming, but Scorpion and Sub Zero were nowhere to be found on the list.
Granted, this doesn't mean that they won't be appearing in the film. There are plenty of reasons why they might not be included, but it's still a little strange. Considering the other massive changes the breakdowns reveal, it's entirely possible that the new film won't include the franchise's most popular characters.
14 IT'LL BE LIKE AN R-RATED AVENGERS
As the writer behind the short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010), Oren Uziel was a natural choice to write the full length reboot. While the short film was a departure from the series' mystical story, its gritty and realistic take remained true to the various characters.
Before James Wan came on-board, Uziel was hired by New Line to write the film's story. The writer described it as a "hard R-rated Avengers," in the sense that the story was about a group of various super powered people coming together to stop a massive threat. Unfortunately, that was several years ago, and it's unclear if this is the same script that Wan is working from.
13 IT WILL FILM IN CHICAGO
Mortal Kombat is known just as much for its various locales as its colorful characters. Narrow bridges standing over spiked pits,deadly forests and various temples are often the setting for brutal fights. Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), along with its segment in Mortal Kombat (2011), is the only storyline to have significant parts of it set in a city, but that's hardly the series' best showing.
So, it's a little surprising that the new film might be shooting in Chicago. There are sound stages in Chicago, but it's still an awkward choice if the production isn't planning on using the city exteriors. This could just be for the pre-tournament scenes, or it's also possible that the film might feature Earth as a major battleground.
12 SHANG TSUNG MIGHT BE A CLOUD
Shang Tsung was the first villain of the series. An ancient sorcerer, he could consume souls and take the form of any of his various opponents. Since the first game, he's returned time after time to attack Earth's heroes. As a fighter, his main power has always been his ability to change shape and assume the powers of other fighters.
The character breakdowns for the new film, however, seem to take the character in a different direction. He's described as a "storm cloud of dark energy" with an "ever changing roulette of faces." This could just be a colorful description of the villain, or it's possible the film will feature the heroes fighting a giant cloud.
11 LINDA HAMILTON AS SINDEL
Roughly 10,000 years ago, Edenia lost 10 consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments to Shao Kahn's forces. The madman murdered Edenia's king and then tried to make Queen Sindel as his wife. She killed herself, but was resurrected in modern times on Earth, allowing Kahn to invade the realm without winning Mortal Kombat.
It's been rumored that Linda Hamilton, famous for her role as Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise, was in talks to play the role. This was never confirmed, and Sindel wasn't included in the recent character breakdowns. That doesn't mean Sindel won't appear, but it also means that nothing is confirmed in any way at all.
10 TIME TRAVEL
One of the strangest rumors came directly from Raiden himself. Well, it technically came from Christopher Lambert, who played the god of thunder in Mortal Kombat (1995), but that's still pretty close. Back in 2016, Lambert revealed that the new movie would actually be a sequel to the original film and involve time travel, with fighters traveling through different eras mid-fight.
A producer eventually shot down this story, but that still leaves some questions. Why would Lambert say this? Was he just messing around? Was this an idea at some point? Did he misunderstand an aspect of the current production? God only knows... by which we mean Raiden... by which we mean Christopher Lambert.
9 A DRASTIC DEPARTURE FROM THE MYTHOLOGY
Mortal Kombat has an incredibly rich story. Aside from the gore, it's a big part of why the games became so popular. Of course, that's never stopped Hollywood studios from throwing most of the story in the garbage and creating their own vision.
This is common among video game adaptations. It seems that Hollywood likes taking the general concept of a game and then creating their own story out of it. Mortal Kombat (1995) was unique for actually following the game's plot. While it wasn't the best movie ever made, it's usually considered one of the better video game movies. Still, it won't be surprising if the new film takes a different (and much more common) approach and completely changes everything.
8 KUNG LAO
Another odd clue hidden in the character breakdowns suggested that Kung Lao may not be able to speak. The character first appeared in Mortal Kombat 2 (1993) as the cousin of Liu Kang, the champion from the first game. Named after the ancient Earthrealm warrior, Lao donned a magic, bladed hat which he would throw at his opponents and use during his fatalities.
While the original games didn't feature any in-game cinematics, the most recent ones have, and they've always shown Kung Lao as being able to speak. It's unclear if the breakdown's descriptions mean that Lao can't speak or that he simply doesn't. Either way, it's definitely a departure from the games.
7 IT WILL SET UP A SHARED UNIVERSE
It's a weird time for Hollywood. Ever since Marvel started making mountains of cash with their shared cinematic universe, every other studio has been trying to replicate that style. Shockingly, no one has yet to really succeed. Still, that hasn't stopped everyone from trying, even in ways that don't fully make sense.
For example, some rumors suggest that the Mortal Kombat reboot will be used to set up a shared universe of some sort. Whether this means the film will eventually interact with other franchises or if it will branch out with movies focused on individual characters (like Scorpion or Johnny Cage) is unclear. It's also possible that the film could set up another major crossover...
6 IT WILL CROSSOVER WITH THE DCEU
In 2008, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe was released to a generally lukewarm response. Fans didn't hate the game, but were annoyed that it had to tone down the gore to appease DC comics. The incredibly random crossover seemed fated to be forgotten, until Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) came out.
The fighting game was based around DC comics characters, but was made by the same studio as Mortal Kombat (2011). The game, and its sequels, featured several Mortal Kombat characters. New Line is owned by Warner Brothers, so it's definitely possible that Mortal Kombat could interact with the DCEU.
5 THE MAIN CHARACTER WILL BE A BRAND NEW ONE
Mortal Kombat has a huge cast, which can make choosing one to focus on a daunting task. Liu Kang seems like the obvious choice, but the story could also focus on Scorpion or Sub Zero and make fans happy. One option would be to make the movie an ensemble piece, but it seems like the filmmakers may have taken another route.
According to the character breakdowns, the main character will be widowed boxer Cole Turner. This is a brand new character created specifically for the film. On one hand, this makes it easy for audiences to learn about the world of Mortal Kombat through Cole's eyes. On the other hand, this will likely turn off longtime fans of the games.
4 SONYA BLADE
Appearing all the way back in the first game, Sonya Blade has been a mainstay in the bloody franchise. She's appeared in most of the games, and her character is often central to the main plot. She's a special forces agent, chasing the villainous Kano across the various realms. She eventually helps form an agency to protect Earth from Outworld invasions.
While the character breakdowns include Sonya Blade, she's described as a brainy writer who's chasing the myth of Mortal Kombat. This is a huge departure, and once again, it will be interesting to see if fans are willing to embrace such a radical change.
3 RAIDEN WILL BE A TEENAGER
The God of Thunder is one of the oldest characters in Mortal Kombat. Since Raiden is an immortal entity, it's difficult to set a specific age range for his character. In the games, he's usually depicted as a grown up, likely in his early 40s. In the 1995 film, he was portrayed as an older man with long gray hair.
If the character breakdowns are to be believed, Raiden's going to be turning the clock back. He's described as a teenager, or at least that's how he's going to appear. He's still said to be the leader of the Earthrealm fighters, but it's going to be strange to see these warriors being guided by someone so young.
2 IT WILL BE THE DIRECTOR'S FIRST FILM
Nobody expects Mortal Kombat to be directed by Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott. The games are great and a lot of fun, but they're also purposely cheesy. If the movie captures the tone of the games, then nobody is expecting it to be high art. Still, it's a fairly popular property and it would seem like the studio would want an experienced director helming the project.
That's why it's a little shocking that Simon McQuoid was hired as director. While he's an accomplished commercial director, Mortal Kombat will be his first feature film. That's not to say that the final result won't be any good. It's just surprising that the studio went with someone so inexperienced for such a high profile gig.
1 IT'S BEING PRODUCED BY A HORROR ICON
While the director might be inexperienced, the film's producer is very well known. James Wan has directed some of Hollywood's biggest hits in recent years, including Furious 7 (2015), and is getting ready to release DC's Aquaman in late 2018. When it comes to Mortal Kombat, what makes Wan an interesting choice isn't his action credentials, however.
He got his start directing the first Saw film in 2004. Since then, he's worked on several horror franchises, most notably The Conjuring series. The guy's got an eye for horror, which will likely play into his take on Mortal Kombat. If Wan can combine breathtaking action scenes with creepy visuals, the film should definitely please fans.