‘Mortal Kombat’ Reboot Finds Its Liu Kang, Jax, Raiden, And Mileena [Updated]
Update:THRnow reports that in addition to Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, the newMortal Kombatfilm has castMehcad Brooks(Supergirl),Tadanobu Asano(Thor: Ragnarok) and Australian newcomerSisi Stringeras Jax, Raiden, and Mileena, respectively. Our original report follows.
From one video game martial arts-fighting character to another, it looks likeLudi Linwon’t have to change up his outfits anytime soon. ThePower Rangersstar, who recently appeared in theBlack Mirrorepisode “Striking Vipers,” is in talks to join theMortal Kombatcast in the role of Liu Kang. The New Line Cinema adaptation of the popular video game franchise is already assembling quite a cast, includingThe Raidstar Joe Taslim.
Varietybroke the news that Ludi Lin is in talks to join the cast ofMortal Kombatas Liu Kang, the protagonist of Midway’s firstMortal Kombatgame that was originally released in 1992. Liu Kang, who not-so-subtly resembled Bruce Lee, was one of the seven original characters introduced in the first game, which consisted of one-on-one matches in a tournament held on the fictional Shang Tsung’s island in a world called Earthrealm. The game’s plot followed Liu Kang, a Shaolin monk who specialized in flying kicks, as he tries to save the Earth by fighting for supremacy in aBloodsport-style tournament.
Theplot of the new film reboot is unknown for now, but it’s likely it’ll follow the basic premise of that first game, with Lin acting as the protagonist of the film. It’s a big break for the Chinese-Canadian actor, who is fresh off playing a similar kung-fu video game character in the season 5Black Mirrorepisode “Striking Vipers,” which takes more than a few cues fromMortal Kombat.Lin is best known for his role in 2017’sPower Rangers, but this newMortal Kombatfilm could be his first leading role.
Produced byJames Wanand helmed by former commercial directorSimon McQuoid, the newMortal Kombatfollows in the footsteps of poorly-received movies released in 1995 and 1997. But New Line seems to be investing in making this newMortal Kombatreboot good, with Joe Taslim of the cult Indonesian action flickThe Raidcast in the film as Sub-Zero, and screenwriterGreg Russopromising a “hard R” rating.
Mortal Kombatiscurrently in pre-production and will begin shooting in Adelaide, Australia later this year. It’s set to hit theaters inMarch 2021.
