There's a new Mortal Kombat film in development, which was originally birthed from Kevin Tancharoen Mortal Kombat: Legacy web series. After years of development, Tancharoen ultimately departed the project and WB currently has commercial director Simon Mcquoid set to direct from a script penned by newcomer Greg Russo (he's also writing the Resident Evil reboot).
In The Hashtag Show's latest report on the film, it seems Kano will play a key role in the pic and the studio wants Joel Edgerton to portray him. However, the more interesting tidbit is the fact that the film will be centered around an original character named Cole Turner and his 12-year old daughter.
A character list has also surfaced, and there are some pretty interesting omissions (Scorpion and Goro come to mind immediately). While it's possible these veteran Tournament fighters could appear in cameos or smaller roles, the film will reportedly focus on Kano and 8 other fighters. Click the Next button below for a rundown and then be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
LORD RAIDEN
At one point in the film's development, reports stated that the script called for Raiden to be portrayed by a prepubescent child. Rather that quirky detail has stuck remains to be seen. In the film, he's described as: "The Thunder God leader of the humankind’s contestants in Mortal Kombat. He oversees their training for the tournament."
SONYA BLADE
It was recently revealed that Ronda Rousey would be voicing Sonya Blade in Mortal Kombat 11 and the MMA-fighter turned WWE wrestler even adorned Sonya Blade inspired gear at her recent Wrestlemania bout. If that doesn't sound like a precursor to a film casting, nothing does. In the film, Blade is described as: "The tough blonde dressed in military gear and ready to become a stronger champion."
JAX
In Mortal Kombat, fighters have developed their own steadfast allies over the game's many iterations. At this point, you can't have Sonya Blade without Jackson "Jax" Bridges. It seems Jax will take a special liking to the original movie character, a boxer named Cole Turner. "With “Arms like cannons” he recruits Cole to the Mortal Kombat tournament," reads The Hashtag Shows' character description.
LIU KANG
Arguably the most popular protagonist of the series, Liu Kang has recently undergone some radical character revisions in recent installments. He's been everything from a dark version of Shao Khan to an undead zombie. However, it appears the film will take the character back to his roots. "A Shaolin warrior from the White Lotus society that has the ability to throw fireballs."
KUNG LAO
Here's another Mortal Kombat pairing. If Liu Kang appears, then Kung Lao is almost sure to follow. " A stoic warrior monk who throws his hat like a deadly frisbee." Often depicted as the pacifist best fried to Liu Kang, in times of great conflict, Lao doesn't hesitate to toss his Oddjob-esque hat.
SUB-ZERO
This is where the list of characters begins to raise eyebrows, particularly for their absences. If Sub-Zero is set to appear, one would naturally expect Scorpion to play a role in the film as well. Oddly enough, his name is absent. "The ice ninja with deadly eyes hidden behind a gruesome mask."
MILEENA
Another character stated to appear who is missing their counterpart. As Sub-Zero is to Scorpion, Mileens is to Katana. However, the latter is absent. "The female Outworld assassin dressed in leather armor and wielding deadly sais."
SHANG TSUNG
It's doubtful that Shang-Tsung will be portrayed by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, this time around. However, you never know with this neigh-immortal sorcerer. Having a younger actor play the role who then reverts to Tagawa upon defeat would be a cool easter egg. The Hashtag Show's description for the character reads: "The ageless Outworld general that oversees the tournament and it’s fighters."