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Mortal Kombat HBO Max 2021 Movie Release Date, Plot, Trailer, Cast, Everything You Need to Know


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A new live-action film adaptation of the popular Mortal Kombat games is set to release in theaters this year. The new reboot from Warner Bros. comes two decades after the last film, Mortal Kombat: Annhilation in 1997.

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The new Mortal Kombat movie is being produced James Wan, known for directing the 2018 Aquaman film and The Conjuring.

Here's everything you need to know about the new Mortal Kombat movie's release date, plot, cast, and trailers. Be sure to bookmark this page to check on future updates as more information is released by the studio.

Related: Mortal Kombat 11 Adds 1995 Movie Skins

Mortal Kombat Movie Release Date: When will the Mortal Kombat reboot be released in theaters and HBO Max?

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Credit: Warner Bros.

The new Mortal Kombat movie will be released in 2021, and Warner Bros. announced last month that the new release date is April 16, 2021.

Mortal Kombat is set to premiere both in theaters and HBO Max. Last December, Warner Bros. announced that its entire slate of 2021 films will have simultaneous premieres both in movie theaters and in HBO Max. It's a major move made by the studio to appease both theater chains and stay-at-home fans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic, the film was slated to release over MLK weekend on January 15, but it has been moved to April 16. It will join other Warner Bros. films like Godzilla vs. Kong, Dune, Space Jam: A New Legacy, In the Heights, The Suicdie Squad, Reminscence, The Many Saints of Newart, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Judas and the Black Messiah, and more, to release in theaters and streaming on the same day of their individual release.


Mortal Kombat Movie Plot & Characters: What will the new reboot be about? Who Will Be Involved?

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Credit: Warner Bros.

The studio has revealed an official plot synopsis:

In "Mortal Kombat," MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family's safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth's greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

In an interview with Collider, fromer Mortal Kombat reboot writer Oren Uziel described the script as being very dark.

"I don't know what remains of this, but I know that it was going to be—it's almost like if you took The Avengers, or if you took a storyline like that and set it in a sort of hard-R, over-the-top violence and hard-edged world of Mortal Kombat," Uziel explained. "It was a little bit like that, it was a little bit like a Wanted-type story that brought together a bunch of these characters and just pulled zero punches, and had a tone that was still fun but very dark."
"I know James Wan came on to produce, so that to me was a good sign that maybe things were heating up again, but beyond that I really don't know the specifics," Uziel added.

According to YouTuber The MashUp, Cole Turner is the main character, and in January 2021, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Lewis is playing Turner.

"When we first meet Cole, he's in a really bad spot," Tan told EW. "He's down on his luck. He's kind of a washed-up MMA fighter who used to be a champion, who used to believe in himself, who used to have a lot of hope in his career. And it's all gone down the drain."

"It's a very interesting place for a hero to start, and I think that, along the journey of Mortal Kombat and Cole discovering where he comes from, you're introduced to all these other iconic characters and elements that everybody loves so dearly," he added.

The Hashtag Show's website also reportedly revealed the character details for the Mortal Kombat reboot:

COLE TURNER
Lead Male. 30s. A brand new character to the MK franchise. Cole is a struggling and widowed boxer who cares more about his young daughter than anything. He is incredibly determined and refuses to quit in the face of fantastical adversity.
KANO
Supporting Lead Male. 30s. The large, rugged Australian ex-special forces turned merc-for-hire. He is arrogant and impetuous but a tremendous fighter.
SONYA BLADE
Supporting Lead Female. 30s. The beautiful, brainy blonde writer who chases the prophecy of Mortal Kombat. She recruits Cole and fights bravely and selflessly for a team she can only be a true part of once she earns a medallion in combat.
JIN/LORD RAIDEN
Male. 14. The immortal thunder God and protector of the Earth realm, who leads and trains the Earth team in the Underworld.
MILEENA
Female. 25-35. A drop dead gorgeous woman that is part of the Outworld side. She wears a sheer gown over thigh-high boots and a revealing one-piece, with a veil that covers her nose and mouth.
JACKSON "JAX" BRIDGES
Male. 30-40. "Jax" is a strapping mercenary/military officer who loses both of his hands in an attack and then joins Sonya and Cole to fight the Outworld.
LIU KANG
Male. 20-35. A fire throwing ninja warrior who is a talented Earth realm champion.
KUNG LAO
Male. 25-35. The mute warrior monk brother of Liu Kang, who yields an all powerful boomerang hat.
SHANG TSUNG
Male. No age specified. The great sorcerer of Outworld, whose presence is a storm cloud of dark energy. His ever-changing roulette of faces unfurls an evil smile.
DRAHMIN
Male. 25-35. An Oni devil mask over his face, his body is composed of twisted sinewy skin, a heavy spiked club replaces one arm.
KABAL
Male. 25-35. An evil assassin of Outworld, he is outfitted in a black armored vest and trench coat. His entire head is covered by a scarred black respirator. His signature weapons are two razor-sharp hook swords.
NITARA
Female. 25-35. A black-haired vampire of Outworld. Two massive leathery batwings protrude from her bare shoulders. Fresh blood drips from her fangs.
REIKO
Male. 25-40. An armor-clad Outworld General with white glowing eyes. He drags a massive war hammer with him.
THE OVERSEER
Male. Late 80's. The overseer of the clock tower and the training grounds that house the Earth realm warriors, he is laughably old.
EMILY
Female. 12. Cole's scrappy, determined, and wise-beyond-her-years daughter.
SOPHIA
Female. 60s. Cole's understanding, discerning mother-in-law who houses Emily and is her primary guardian.
JESS
Female. 30-35. Cole's judgmental sister-in-law, who believes Cole to be a selfish, bad father. She lives with Sophia and Emily.

Entertainment Weekly also revealed the first images from the film in January 2021.

The studio hasn't revealed if Sub Zero and Scorpion will appear in the film.

The Cast of Mortal Kombat Reboot: Who's starring in the new Mortal Kombat movie?

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Credit: Warner Bros.

Here's a list of confirmed actors, the characters they're playing, and the movies they previously starred in.

Ludi Lin (Power Rangers) as Liu Kang, a Shaolin monk from Earth who is invited to the mysterious Mortal Kombat tournament.
Mechad Brooks (Supergirl) as Jax, an American Special Forces soldier with augmented, cybernetic arms.
Jessica McNamee (The Meg) as Sonya Blade, a tough-as-nails soldier who leads the Outer World Investigation Agency, an Earth-based unit that deals with extra-worldly threats. She harbors a grudge against Kano, leader of the mercenary clan the Black Dragon, who killed her former partner.
Josh Lawson (House of Lies) as Kano, leader of the Black Dragons who wears a metal plate to hide facial injuries sustained from Jax.
Tadanobu Asano (Thor) as Raiden, an immortal thunder god who helps Earth win Mortal Kombat.
Hiroyuki Sanada (Westworld) as Scorpion, an undead ninja who seeks vengeance for his family against his rival, Sub-Zero. Best remembered for his fiery spear that pulls his targets close to afford him a killing shot.
Joe Taslim (The Raid) as Sub-Zero, a ninja from the Lin Kuei clan who possesses the powers of ice.
Chin Han (The Dark Knight) as Shang Tsung, a sinister Shaolin monk and shape-shifter who can absorb the souls of the living.
Sisi Stringer as Mileena, a half-human, half-Tarkatan assassin.
Max Huang as Kung Lao, a Shaolin monk and best friend of Liu Kang who is remembered by fans for his unique weapon: His razor-sharp, circular hat.
Lewis Tan (Into the Badlands) in an unknown role.

The actor for Johnny Cage hasn't been revealed yet.

Mortal Kombat Trailer: Where can I watch the trailer for the new Mortal Kombat movie?

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Credit: Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. hasn't released a trailer for the new Mortal Kombat movie even though the production already wrapped over the Christmas 2019 holidays. We'll keep you updated here on EpicStream.com once the official trailer is up.

For now, you can watch the 1995 trailer of the first Mortal Kombat movie to get us hyped for the reboot (They better include that iconic theme song in the new film!):

Mortal Kombat Movie Director & Writer: Who's directing and writing the new Mortal Kombat movie?

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Credit: Warner Bros.

Simon McQuoid directed the new Mortal Kombat reboot. This is his first major feature film, but he's made many commercials, including some videogame commercials for Call of Duty and Halo. He also made an H&R Block spot starring Mad Men star Jon Hamm.

The script of the new Mortal Kombat film was written by Greg Russo. He's working on or has worked on other videogame movie adaptations like the new Resident Evil, Saints, Space Invaders, Saints Row, and FEAR. Most of Russo's writing credits are primarily on unreleased projects, so we'll have to wait and see his approach for the big screen.

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Russo confirmed that the Mortal Kombat movie will be Rated-R, and for the first time ever, fatalities will make their way to the big screen.

In January 2021, actor Lewis Tan talked about the Fatalities in the movie. "There are some crazy fatalities," Tan said. "We've picked a couple of iconic ones. There's a lot of really cool signature moves that you'll see, a lot of Easter eggs that we snuck into the film, but there are some really badass fatalities that I can't wait to see on the big screen. They're brutal, man. They, they don't hold back."

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