The next Mortal Kombat movie was one of many projects this year delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. Its release date of January 2021 fell off the schedule after one of its producers, Todd Garner, announced the delay last month. However, yesterday the film’s Twitter account revealed that the Mortal Kombat movie will finally find its time under the sun on April 16, 2021. The movie will release both in theaters and as a stream exclusive for HBO Max. That’s all good news. Can we know what the hell the movie is about, now?
Don’t tell me “it’s about Mortal Kombat, duh.” I’m aware. But despite a more solid release date, not much about the movie’s plot is even known. I think it’s safe to say that it’ll be more akin to a reboot, as attaching this project to Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is something we can all agree is a terrible idea. It certainly won’t be a sequel to the biggest turd of 1997. So, what do we have to look forward to with this fresh installment?
A point that is known, however, is an important one. Mortal Kombat, unlike its so-corny-it’s-good 1995 predecessor, will be rated R. (The original two movies were PG-13, if you can believe it). The rating opens the doors to produce a truly violent, gory showcase that matches up to the source material. Will we see fatalities? Brutalities? Most likely, yes. And hopefully they’ll be ridiculous.
On April 16, Mortal Kombat enters the arena. Coming to theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max. #MortalKombatMovie pic.twitter.com/mjB8DRhyYM
— Mortal Kombat Movie (@MKMovie) December 14, 2020
Need some actual bang for this buck
It is peculiar that so little about the film is known — it’d be nice if we had a trailer. The new movie has been in production limbo for years, with origins beginning in 2010 with the Mortal Komat: Rebirth short films. Rebirth’s director, Kevin Tancharoen, was asked to direct, but left the project in 2013. He was later replaced in 2015 by Simon McQuoid, who directed advertisements for Halo, PlayStation, and Beats by Dre.
With the release date tentatively in the bag, hopefully we’ll see the movie in action soon. Look for the Mortal Kombat movie to hit theaters and HBO Max on April 16, 2021.
