Fans have been eagerly anticipating seeing anything from the new MORTAL KOMBAT reboot but, according to producer and head of Broken Road Pictures Todd Garner, we won't be seeing anything from the film until more movie theaters reopen.
News on the status of the reboot came from Garner via Twitter. A fan, in response to one of his recent tweets, asked if fans might get a "surprise reveal" regarding the film. Unfortunately, Garner had to rain on the parade a bit by revealing the film is currently conducting a few days of reshoots that were originally scheduled to take place in March. Hollywood went dark in March due to the global pandemic and this has caused the film's release date to come into question. According to Garner, that won't gain any traction until movie theaters stabilize a bit:
"Well, I thought by the casts' social media you would've figured out we're shooting a few more days. We'd always planned for it & thought we'd do it in March. The pandemic had other plans. We won't have a release date for the movie until movie theaters re-open. Same for trailer."
Warner Bros. had scheduled for the reboot to open on January 15, 2021. Given the current state of the world and the fact that we won't be getting a trailer anytime soon, that release date is definitely not happening now. The studio hasn't publicly commented on the matter but this could be a potential franchise starter for Warner Bros. and there is no way a film like this can be properly finished and marketed effectively in just a couple of months.
What we do know about the reboot is that's going to be an R-rated adaptation of the popular video game. The 1995 film, while considered by some to be one of the better video game adaptations to date, played it safe with a PG-13 rating which took away from the game's signature violence that made it so popular and controversial in the '90s. The PG-13 move proved to be successful for MORTAL KOMBAT as it became a surprise late-summer hit in 1995, spending three weeks at the top of the box office and grossing $122.1 million worldwide.
Simon McQuoid is making his feature directorial debut on the project and horror maestro James Wan is on board as a producer. Greg Russo, who penned the screenplay, has not by shy about hyping the film up with promises of bloody fatalities and declaring that MORTAL KOMBAT "has never looked this good." Featured in the film's ensemble cast are Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), Chin Han (Shang Tsung), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Josh Lawson (Kano), Tadanobu Asano (Raiden), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), Sisi Stringer (Mileena), and Lewis Tan, whose role has yet to be revealed.
Were YOU eagerly anticipating your first-look at MORTAL KOMBAT?