The first trailer for Mortal Kombat is packed full of characters and moments that fans of the franchise will recognize at first sight. One of these moments is Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs losing his arms -- this time to the cryogenic warrior Sub-Zero, who has been described as the film's villain.
Director Simon McQuoid recently did a breakdown of both the trailer and the scene on IGN's official YouTube channel. "So I know in a few different iterations of Mortal Kombat Ermac has taken Jax's arms in the past...it's been slightly different across the board in a few different iterations. In this film, we needed to drive a few certain characters and narratives," McQuoid said.
He continued, "Given that it'd been done a couple of different ways in the past, we felt we had a bit of license to do that again here. We really tried to be truthful and true to the canon of Mortal Kombat where we can be, but every now and again we might deviate slightly." Jax is well known for his massive cybernetic arms, which also made an appearance in the film -- McQuoid revealed that hours were spent designing the costumes so that they felt true to each character.
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: YouTube