Mortal Kombat Producer on the Challenges of Developing the Movie

The upcoming Mortal Kombat movie reboot, set to release on April 16th in theaters and on HBO Max, has plenty of history to mine to adapt to the screen. But that in and of itself can be a particular challenge given what the movie is trying to accomplish by introducing audiences new and old to the story of these popular characters. ComicBook.com had the opportunity to attend a set visit while the movie was filming, and producer Todd Garner admitted that there’s a challenge inherent to developing something like that.

“The game’s great, we’ve got a lot of characters with a lot of lore, and let’s do it well, but really people want to fuck each other up,” Garner said. “That’s exactly our development process.”

According to Garner, casting was one of the most extremely important parts of the whole process. “It was interesting because not only did we have to be true to who they were culturally but to how they feel in the fight and act,” he added. “We got very lucky that every single person we went after said yes. In fact there was a few people that were like, ‘Hey, what about me?’ And there was just no place for them in this version of the movie.”

If for whatever reason you haven’t seen it yet, here is the official synopsis for the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie:

“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?”

The Mortal Kombat reboot film is currently scheduled to release on April 16th on both HBO Max and in theaters. The cast includes Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, and Lewis Tan as new character Cole Young. It wrapped filming late last year. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the film right here.

What do you think about what Garner says are the challenges of the movie? Are you looking forward to it releasing in April? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!