Director Simon McQuoid promises blood, gore, and, for the first time, fatalities.
This month, EW is offering exclusive looks at more than two dozen of 2021’s most anticipated movies.
Check out more of our previewhere.
Mark Rogers/New Line/Warner Bros.
When you think ofMortal Kombat, you think of blood.
“Blood represents family,” he tells EW.
“Blood represents a connection.
Mark Rogers/New Line/Warner Bros.
Blood represents who we are.
Without getting too overcomplicated, what we did is use blood executionally.”
And it starts flowing right from the get-go.
New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s the signature weapon of fan-favorite game character Hanzo Hasashi, a.k.a.
Scorpion, played byThe WolverineandThe Twilight Samuraistar Hiroyuki Sanada.
“It is like a family drama with excitingly brutal fighting.
New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures
That’s the image of this movie for me,” he adds.
The story of Bi-Han and Hanzo “needed to be told within the fight,” McQuoid says.
We needed it to be really elemental and really brutal.
Mark Rogers/New Line/Warner Bros.
It’s not a shiny film…
I wanted the dirt and the grime to come through."
“When we first meet Cole, he’s in a really bad spot,” Tan says.
New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures
“He’s down on his luck.
And it’s all gone down the drain.
Tan is familiar with the idea of legacy.
Tan also realizes the legacy of the original games.
“I’ve been playing the game since I was a kid,” he says.
Cole is certainly something fans haven’t seen before.
Thai kickboxing), judo, jujitsu, and “MMA roots.”
Everyone was clear on it,” McQuoid says of developing the reboot.
Respect for the material also meant leaning into what makesMortal Kombatso popular after all these years.
Blood has a lot to do with that.
Let’s have some fun.'"
He pauses to repeat what he just said.
“And thereisgore, blood, and fatalities.”
“There are some crazy fatalities,” Tan confirms.
“We’ve picked a couple of iconic ones.
They’re brutal, man.
They, they don’t hold back.”
At the same time, McQuoid “didn’t want to get into NC-17 territory.”
He notes, “It’s amazing how quickly you’re free to get there.
It doesn’t take much.”
At least, not for aMortal Kombatmovie.
The film is scheduled for a simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max this April 16.
