It has been about four years since it was first announced that James Wan would be producing a film based on the MORTAL KOMBAT video game franchise, but after taking its time making its way through the development process that project will finally be going into production later in 2019.
As announced in November of 2016, award-winning commerical director Simon McQuoid will be directing the new MORTAL KOMBAT, making this his feature directorial debut. Filming will take place at Adelaide Studios in Australia. This production will create an estimated 580 jobs, inject around AUD $70 million into the South Australian economy, and employ 1500 extras.
The most recent draft of the screenplay was written by Greg Russo. An official synopsis hasn't been revealed, but we can be pretty sure that the movie will have something to do with a fighting tournament that will decide the fate of the world. Russo has confirmed that the seven playable characters from the first game (Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Kano, Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion) play important roles in his story.
I was never all that fond of the 1995 MORTAL KOMBAT movie that Paul W.S. Anderson directed (and was even less fond of 1997's MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION, which was directed by Wan's frequent collaborator John R. Leonetti), so I'm interested in seeing what a different cinematic take on the concept will be like.
Wan is producing the new MORTAL KOMBAT with Todd Garner. Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear, and Sean Robins serve as executive producers.