Two major Mortal Kombat characters will receive considerably more screen time in the series’ upcoming movie reboot than in past installments.
Co-producer for next year’s video game adaptation Todd Garner hinted as such in a recent exchange with one fan over on Twitter, who asked him if the film would do Sub-Zero and Scorpion justice. The pair, often considered joint faces of the franchise (the latter of which even makes up series creator NetherRealm Studios’ logo), have starred in almost every major Mortal Kombat title to date and famously also appeared in Paul W. S. Anderson’s 1995 movie of the same name.
Screen time for both magically gifted shinobi in the original was extremely limited, however, with Sub-Zero in particular only being present for mere minutes before being dispatched by Earthrealm’s Liu Kang. Scorpion’s face-off against Johnny Cage remains one of the cheesy flick’s most memorable scenes, of course, but even that sequence is over and done with within moments. Neither character has any dialogue (save for Scorpion’s trademark phrase), either, a mistake Garner is resolute not to repeat.
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A good start with that aim is the decision this time to hire actual actors for each role rather than stuntmen. Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai, 47 Ronin) and Joe Taslim (The Raid, Fast and Furious 6) have previously been confirmed to play Scorpion and Sub-Zero respectively, both of which have the acting chops to match extensive martial arts training. Perfect casting choices, then, but it remains to be seen how gaming’s bloodiest franchise will fare in cinemas upon its return to the big screen next year.
Mortal Kombat is out January 15th, 2021 and it goes without saying that, based on what’s already known, we’re silently optimistic. What about you, though? Share your thoughts in the usual place below!