As a video game adaptation that draws inspiration from action cinema, martial arts epics and sprawling fantasy with an expansive lore and mythology of its own, there are already plenty of genres thrown into the Mortal Kombat melting pot. The reboot managed to balance them all to a decent enough degree, and fans are now champing at the bit for a sequel to what many of them called the greatest console-to-screen movie ever made.
Of course, it would be remiss not to point out that horror has always played a significant part in the Mortal Kombat mythos. Of course, we’re not talking about jump scares, but when the franchise’s extensive roster of characters includes demons, monsters, undead ninjas and everything in between, all of whom love to dismember their enemies in the grisliest fashion possible, there’s definitely the potential to explore some of the bloodier tropes.
On that note, we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Ben Affleck was returning as Batman in The Flash – that future installments in the planned multi-film series will lean heavier into the horror aspects, although it isn’t quite clear how that’s expected to unfold at this early stage.
Joe Taslim’s Sub-Zero wasn’t too far away from being a slasher movie villain for the first half of Mortal Kombat, though, with the actor often a chilling presence as he stalked Cole Young and his family through the opening stages of the narrative, no pun intended. Of course, the sequel hasn’t been given the official green light as of yet, but it’s surely just a matter of time, and the second outing will no doubt be keen to capitalize on the momentum as soon as possible.