Following the release of the most recent Mortal Kombat trailer in which audiences got a taste of some of the franchise's most memorable fighters in action, director Simon McQuoid outlined the origin and evolution of Scorpion's iconic weapon.
In an interview with IGN, McQuoid dissected some key elements from the trailer, detailing how Hanzo Hasashi will become his warrior persona, Scorpion, as well as the history of his famous spear weapon -- a retractable kunai. "We did a bit of research into what a kunai actually is, and it was originally, not exclusively, but it was often used as a gardening tool in 14th century, Japan," he said. The director explained how the weapon was created in a deadly moment of improvisation, saying, "That's why [Scorpion] has the kunai on the end of that rope, because that's all he has at the time. You'll see how he sort of adapts and turns that rope and that gardening tool into a pretty lethal weapon that really does the job."
Like the character himself, the deadly evolution of Scorpion's weapon had humble beginnings. Scorpion first fashioned his upgraded kunai to use against the Lin Kuei, Bi-Han's (aka Sub-Zero's) clan, after they launched an attack on Scorpion's Shirai Ryu village. McQuoid said of the encounter, "It's really about seeing [Scorpion’s] evolution on the screen and the ingredients, both emotional and physical as to why he becomes Scorpion. And so that is explained across the opening of our film. And it's a pretty brutal, nasty fight."
The plot of the upcoming film will orbit the iconic rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero in a superhuman battle of fire and ice. While the abilities of the characters and the drama of the fight scenes rely on audiences' suspension of disbelief, McQuoid said, "I wanted it to feel real and I wanted to feel very elemental, not silly or too shiny. It's always got to have some mongrel about it, so it feels completely real and believable."
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: IGN