Mortal Kombat: HBO Max release was considered for James Wan-produced reboot

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

With the pandemic forcing many theatres around the world to remain closed, studios are well aware that they're going to have to keep their release schedules fluid for a while longer, and that they're going to have to send some of their movies to streaming services. In this situation, Warner Bros. is set up pretty well, given their connection to the HBO Max streaming service. They're already planning to give Wonder Woman 1984 a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release starting on December 25th, and it looks like they'll be doing the same for Godzilla vs. Kong next year. According to Variety, Warner Bros. is also considering giving their films Judas and the Black Messiah, The Little Things, and Tom and Jerry hyrid theatrical/HBO Max releases…. and in the Variety report, it's mentioned that 

the studio considered taking the same route with Mortal Kombat, an adaptation of the popular video game, but expect to delay the film’s theatrical debut instead.

I'm kind of surprised to hear that Warner Bros. has apparently decided not to send Mortal Kombat to HBO Max, because it seems like a strong candidate for that release strategy. Especially with Wonder Woman 1984 and Godzilla vs. Kong leading the way.

Mortal Kombat was originally expected to reach theatres on March 5, 2021, but has been removed from the schedule. Producer Todd Garner recently said that Warner Bros. won't be announcing a new release date until after theatres re-open, and that we also shouldn't expect to see a trailer until then.

Garner produced the film with James Wan. Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear, and Sean Robins serve as executive producers.

The feature directorial debut of Simon McQuoid, Mortal Kombat was written by Greg Russo and centers on 

a male protagonist who becomes drawn into the interdimensional tournament, and begins to realize his true potential as a result.

The cast includes Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Elissa Cadwell as Nitara, and Lewis Tan in an unspecified role.