LOS ANGELES, May 15 — A new adaptation of action game franchise Mortal Kombat is moving into production, while James Wan and Joel Edgerton have previously been associated with the project.
Wan of Saw, The Conjuring, Furious 7 and Aquaman boarded the live action Mortal Kombat project as its producer in August 2015, and now video game adaptation appears in line to enter production mid-2019.
It’s to be the “largest movie ever filmed and produced in South Australia”, according to the region’s Premier, Steven Marshall.
Premier announces action film “Mortel Kombat” will be the largest movie ever filmed and produced in SA. Expected to create 580 jobs and inject 70mil into the economy. Pre-production will begin this month @abcadelaide pic.twitter.com/mpMOUR2gvs
— Claire Campbell (@clairehcampbell) May 14, 2019
For context, cult hit horrors The Babadook (2012) and Wolf Creek (2004), as well as post-apocalyptic action movie Mad Max 3 (1985) were all filmed in South Australia.
The Mortal Kombat franchise began in 1992 with a debut fighting game that offered more realistic visuals and a controversial level of graphic (if not occasionally comical) violence.
Mortal Kombat 11 released in April 2019, accompanied by a report on PTSD experienced by some of its development staff.
It was used as the basis for 1990s movies Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, while in 2010 director and choreographer Kevin Tancharoen helmed his own unofficial short Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, prompting Warner Bros and its New Line Cinema division to start up an official project.
With Malaysian-Australian Wan backing the new film, commercial director Simon McQuoid was linked with the Mortal Kombat movie in November 2018.
Though it’d be a feature debut for McQuoid, he’s following a path from advertising to feature films already well trodden by big names such as Ridley Scott, Michael Bay, David Fincher and others.
As for on-screen talent, Australia’s Edgerton was associated with Mortal Kombat in March 2019.
He’d play an Australian ex-special forces mercenary who retains a “goofy attitude” despite arms dealing and drug running charges, per a character list published by That Hashtag Show.
Edgerton comes in from Star Wars Episodes II and III, Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby, Animal Kingdom and Boy Erased.
Screenwriter Greg Russo told Discussing Film that the story’s tone would be like a “more adult” Marvel movie.
“While there is violence and there is fighting and real stakes and emotional stakes for all the people involved,” he said, “at the end of the day it still should be fun and [have] a sense of humour.” — AFP-Relaxnews
