Mortal Kombat Movie Producer Todd Garner Talks Fatalities

Everything we’ve seen so far about the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie, including the first trailer, indicates that it will be a bloody movie full of fights and the franchise’s iconic finishing moves, Fatalities. That said, it does appear to be taking itself somewhat seriously, so what are the odds that something like, say, the goofier finishing moves like a Babality, Animality, or Friendship show up? Or even some of the more gruesome Fatalities? Well, ComicBook.com attended a set visit while the movie was filming, and while producer Todd Garner absolutely reinforced the fact that there is plenty of violence in the film, maybe don’t get your hopes up too high thanks to the tone the movie’s trying to set as well as just the rules of what can go into a movie like this.

According to Garner, the problem with Fatalities, in general, is simply that the Motion Picture Association of America isn’t likely to let folks get away with everything the video game does, but the movie does have some points on its side. “First of all, it’s CG characters, so it’s not real,” Garner said. “So obviously the bar being raised for the violence. I’m under the restrictions of the Motion Picture Association of America. So I have to live inside those rules. So we’re going to do as much as we can and that would be what it’s… Going to definitely be R-rated, definitely be violent.”

And also? The Mortal Kombat video game franchise is just… a lot, sometimes. “There’s crazy shit you do in the games,” he added. “I don’t know if you really want to see Ludi [Lin] get his head ripped off.”

In case you missed it previously, 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 sort of iconic moves are you hoping to see in the new Mortal Kombat movie? Are you hoping for any specific one to make an appearance? 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!