Last Updated on July 30, 2021

As all of us know by this point in time, there is a live-action reboot of MORTAL KOMBAT (supposedly) coming our way in the future. The movie was at one point set to be produced by James Wan, but since then we've passed along the disappointing news that Wan left the project. But all is not lost as screenwriter Greg Russo has recently finished the script for director Simon McQuiod's live-action MORTAL KOMBAT film for New Line Cinema.

Russo was recently interviewed and the topic of tone came up. The interviewer says MORTAL KOMBAT's "very far-out stories don't take itself too seriously," and they're "pretty tongue in cheek and comedic" kind of like a "Saturday morning cartoon that happens to be Rated R."

Screenwriter Greg Russo responds:

Yeah, I think that’s essential when you’re talking about this property. Is there really a super serious dark version of this? Yeah, I guess, but that’s not Mortal Kombat to me. Just look at Kano as an example, he’s a great character. He’s always cracking jokes. To me, there needs to a certain levity and a fun tone. While there is violence and there are fighting and real stakes and emotional stakes for all the people involved at the end of the day it still should be fun and a sense of humor. As much as I hate to throw up the direct comparison to Marvel they’re still fun and always cracking jokes but obviously, ours will be a bit more adult.

Russo was then asked if he could tease what character he's chosen as the entry point for audiences into this universe. Russo replied:

That’s a tricky one. I’m not at liberty to completely give it away but I can say certainly that the original seven are important. I think they’re important to any adaptation to this property.

Mortal Kombat is one of the most successful fighting franchises in the history of video games but I know the series best by director Paul W.S. Anderson's 1995 adaptation starring Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert.

That film's synopsis went like this:

Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert) handpicks three martial artists — federal agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), Shaolin monk Lui Kang (Robin Shou) and action movie sensation Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) — and mentors them. After intense training, Rayden transports the trio to Outworld, the site of an inter-dimensional fighting tournament. There, the three humans must defeat the demonic warriors of the evil Shang Sung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) — or allow Sung to take over the Earth.

One way or the other, with all the blockbuster business that MORTAL KOMBAT still does across multiple platforms, it's only a matter of time before the whole shebang gets another big-budget tentpole-style Hollywood adaptation… or an animated film featuring Joel McHale and Jennifer Carpenter…

BUY MORTAL KOMBAT (1995) ON BLU-RAY HERE