Mortal Kombat 2021 reboot

[GeneChing]

'Mortal Kombat' Video Game Headed Back to the Big Screen (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mortal-kombat-video-game-headed-242218)
New Line has hired Kevin Tancharoen to direct a new adaptation of the classic fighting game.
September
29
1:14 PM PDT 9/29/2011 by Borys Kit
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_570x321/2011/01/mortal_a_l.jpg
Mortal Kombat is heading back to the big-screen.

New Line is hiring the filmmakers of the popular Mortal Kombat digital series, made earlier this year by corporate sibling Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to take on a new adaptation of the classic 1990s fighting game.

The movie deal marks the end of a journey for Kevin Tancharoen, who will direct the new film. Tancharoen, a choreographer for Madonna and Britney Spears who directed the 2009 remake of Fame and more recently the Glee concert movie, directed a short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth as a proof of concept for a Kombat movie he tried to pitch. A huge fan of the video game (and knowing Hollywood wouldn’t give him a shot at the title), he enlisted Oren Uziel to write the short and hired actors such as Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan.

The short was viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube, and although no movie deal materialized, he was asked to direct the 10-episode web series, which debuted in April, attracting more than 50 million unique visitors.

Off that success, Warners and New Line execs thought it was time to try to revisit a big-screen effort. (New Line made a Mortal Kombat movie in 1995, which grossed more than $70 million domestically and helped launch a directing career for Paul W. S. Anderson. A follow-up movie in 1997, however, fizzled.)

Uziel is returning to write the new movie, which is still in the development stages. There is no actor attached and the new story will not serve as an extension of the game or digital series.

Dave Neustadter and Walter Hamada are overseeing for New Line.

The game’s long-standing appeal lies in being able to face off against an opponent, using various weapons and fighting styles, via human or alien avatars. The catchy title doesn’t hurt, either.

Tancharoen is repped by ICM and Anonymous Content. Uziel, who also wrote the Black List script Kitchen Sink, is repped by ICM and Circle of Confusion.If I had a dollar for every time I heard that **** MK song at tournaments... :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

'expect it to be darker and feature real martial arts' :rolleyes:


Mortal Kombat Movie Confirmed as James Wan is Officially On Board to Produce Reboot; Oren Uziel and Dave Callahan Finishing Script (http://www.vcpost.com/articles/87329/20150827/mortal-kombat-movie-confirmed-james-wan-officially-board-produce-reboot.htm)

http://images.vcpost.com/data/images/full/70404/james-wa.jpg?w=590
James Wa (Credit: Steve Granitz/Getty Images) HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 01: James Wan arrvies at the 'Furious 7' - Los Angeles Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on April 1, 2015 in Hollywood, California.
August 27 6:56 PM 2015

A reboot of feature film adaptation of the hit videogame series Mortal Kombat is in the works under New Line Cinema. Furious 7 director James Wan has been tapped to oversee production for the film while writers have also been hired for the script.

As reported by Den of Geek, James Wan is officially on board to produce the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot. Although Wan could also direct the film with the success of his films Furious 7 and The Conjuring, the director already has his hands full with his scheduled directorial responsibilities for the upcoming The Conjuring 2, Sony's Robotech, and Warner Bros' Aquaman.

Although no details have been released concerning the film's cast, release date, or director, iDigital Times reported that Mortal Kombat: Legacy's Oren Uziel and The Expendables writer Dave Callaham are writing the script.

As reported by Comingsoon.net, planning for the project began years ago with director Kevin Tancharoen set to direct. However, inn 2013, Tancharoen announced that he will no longer direct the film. Tancharoen directed the hit web series, Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

The upcoming film will reportedly move away from the mythology, and fans of the hit videogame series can expect it to be darker and feature real martial arts. The story of the upcoming film will center on a male protagonist who will realize his potentials upon getting caught in a battle between the warriors of the Earth vs the forces of the Outworld. He then tries to save the world by winning the battle.

Aside from the web series, and the television series, two Mortal Kombat films were made. Paul W.S. Anderson's adaptation, which was simply called 'Mortal Kombat' was released in 1995, while its sequel was later released in 1997 entitled Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and was directed by John R. Leonetti. More details about the upcoming Mortal Kombat Reboot movie are expected to be released in the coming months.

[GeneChing]

Maybe I'll split this off into it's own thread as more news comes in. Maybe not.


‘Mortal Kombat’ Reboot Finds Director in Simon McQuoid (EXCLUSIVE) (http://variety.com/2016/film/news/mortal-kombat-reboot-director-simon-mcquoid-james-wan-1201921068/)
Justin Kroll Film Reporter @krolljvar

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/simon-mcquoid-mortal-kombat.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1
Simon McQuoid Mortal Kombat COURTESY OF WME
NOVEMBER 18, 2016 | 04:21PM PT
Simon McQuoid, best known for directing commercials, is in talks to helm the “Mortal Kombat” reboot for New Line.

James Wan is producing the movie, along with Michael Clear for Atomic Monster, and Todd Garner and Jeremy Stein through their Broken Road banner. Lawrence Kasanoff is executive producing. Greg Russo penned the most recent draft.

Based on the classic ’90s arcade game, “Mortal Kombat” has generated numerous pop culture properties, including the best-selling video game, “Mortal Kombat X.” The “Mortal Kombat” games are developed by NetherRealm Studios, owned by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with a team led by co-creator and creative director Ed Boon.

Paul W.S. Anderson’s 1995 “Mortal Kombat” movie revolved around some of the game’s classic characters, like Liu Kang and Johnny Cage, who were invited to a tournament on a mysterious island only to find out that the fate of the world hung in the balance. The pic grossed $70 million at the domestic box office.

Its sequel, “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation,” however, did not bring back audiences, and the studio shelved future plans for any “Mortal Kombat”-related projects. The series was revived after Warner Bros. Digital, which was run by current Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara at the time, premiered the web series “Mortal Kombat: Legacy.”

McQuoid is an Australian filmmaker and one of the most in-demand commercials directors in the business, working on high-profile campaigns for PlayStation, Halo, Range Rover, Beats by Dre, and other top brands. His commercial work has earned him a Grand Clio, a D&AD Pencil, and a GRANDY Award, among others. McQuoid is repped by WME.

[GeneChing]

‘Mortal Kombat’ Gets 2021 Release Date Via Warner Bros (https://deadline.com/2019/05/mortal-kombat-release-date-james-wan-warner-bros-1202618026/)
By Bruce Haring
pmc-editorial-manager
May 17, 2019 7:27pm

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/james-wan.jpg?crop=0px%2C127px%2C3503px%2C1963px&resize=450%2C253
James Wan
REX/Shutterstock
The new Warner Bros. film based on the Mortal Kombat video games will be released on March 5, 2021. That sets up a head-to-head battle against Sony and Mattel Films’ Masters of the Universe — which was dated just 24 hours ago — along an untitled Universal Event Film and Fox’s animated fantasy Nimona.

Produced by Aquaman’s James Wan and directed by first-time filmmaker Simon McQuoid, the new fantasy-action Mortal Kombat is the third film inspired by the video game, following 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s Mortal Kombat Annihilation. The film just started production in South Australia, with no details on cast or storyline revealed.

The Mortal Kombat 11 video game was just released and generally well-received by the gaming community.

Sony and Mattel’s Masters of the Universe originally had been slated for Christmastime this year. Let’s see if either studio opts to the avoid the battle royal of action figures vs. video game characters.

I should split this into an indie thread soon...

[GeneChing]

Time for that indie Mortal Kombat 2021 reboot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot) thread, independant of our general Mortal Kombat (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57448-Mortal-Kombat) thread.


'Mortal Kombat' Movie Adds Fistful of Fighters (Exclusive) (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mortal-kombat-movie-adds-fistful-fighters-1232599)
AUGUST 16, 2019 12:50PM by Borys Kit , Mia Galuppo

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2019/08/tadanobu_asano-mehcad_brooks_sisi_stringer-getty-publicity-split-h_2019.jpg
Getty Images; Courtesy of CBM Management

Jax, Raiden, Mileena and Liu Kang, too.

New Line's Mortal Kombat movie is lining up their fighters.

Supergirl actor Mehcad Brooks, Thor: Ragnarok actor Tadanobu Asano, Australian newcomer Sisi Stringer and Power Rangers actor Ludi Lin are stepping into the ring for the project, which is based on the iconic video game.

James Wan and Todd Garner are producing the mano-a-mano adaptation which will be the feature debut of veteran commercial director Simon McQuoid.

While the plot of the film remains unknown, the video game centers on a massive roster of character fighters from different realms in a fictional universe battling for supremacy. Greg Russo penned the current version of the screenplay.

Joe Taslim is already on board as Sub-Zero.

Brooks will be playing Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs, the Special Forces muscleman who is a mainstay in the video game franchise; Stringer is Mileena, the unstable, sai-jabbing assassin; Lin is Liu Kang, one of the game's original characters, a monk-turned-fighter. Asano, a veteran actor in his native Japan, is in negotiations to play Raiden, the Japanese god of thunder.

New Line is aiming to have a diverse international cast so as to reflect the global nature of the franchise, with actors coming in from the worlds of film, television and martial arts. The company has slated a March 5, 2021 release.

First released in 1992, Mortal Kombat has sold over 49 million copies, spanning over a dozen canon games and expansions, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises of all time. Mortal Kombat 11 was released in April and has become the most successful launch in franchise history with the game currently the best-selling title of 2019.

Mortal Kombat, which is set to shoot later this year in southern Australia, will be exec produced by Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear and Sean Robins.

The game was previously adapted into a movie in 1995 by director Paul W. S. Anderson that went on to gross an impressive $122 million at the worldwide box office. It was followed by 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Brooks, whose credits also include USA series Necessary Roughness and recent Tiffany Haddish comedy Nobody's Fool, is repped by Artists First and Goodman Schenkman.

Asano played Hogun, one of the Warriors Three in Marvel's Thor movies and will be seen in Roland Emmerich's Midway. The actor, who worked with Martin Scorsese in the filmmaker's period drama Silence, will also be seen with Johnny Depp in Minamata. He is repped by CAA, Slush Management and Sloane Offer.

Stringer is repped by CBM Management.

[GeneChing]

...catching up. But Joe Taslim! :cool:


'Mortal Kombat' Movie Finds Its Sub-Zero (Exclusive) (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/raid-actor-joe-taslim-play-zero-mortal-kombat-movie-1222984)
JULY 09, 2019 11:04AM by Mia Galuppo

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2019/07/sub-zero-actor_joe_taslim-publicity-getty-split-h_2019_.jpg
The Sub-Zero character (left), Joe Taslim | Warner Bros Interactive; Rick Kern/Getty Images

Fight!

New Line's Mortal Kombat movie has found its Sub-Zero.

Actor and martial artist Joe Taslim will be playing the superpowered fighter in the live-action adaptation of the video game.

James Wan and his Atomic Monster banner are producing the movie, which will be the feature debut of veteran commercial director Simon McQuoid. Todd Garner will also produce, with Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear and Sean Robins executive producing.

While the plot of the film remains unknown, the video game centers on a massive roster of character fighters from different realms in a fictional universe battling for supremacy. Greg Russo penned the current version of the screenplay.

First released in 1992, Mortal Kombat has sold over 49 million copies, spanning over a dozen canon games and expansions, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises of all time. Mortal Kombat 11 was released in April and has become the most successful launch in franchise history.

The game was previously adapted into a movie in 1995 by director Paul W. S. Anderson that went on to gross an impressive $122 million at the worldwide box office. It was followed by 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Sub-Zero was one of the original characters featured in the 1992 game and is known for his attacks involving ice. He has a long-running rivalry with similarly garbed fellow kombatant Scorpion.

Taslim's is the first deal to close for Mortal Kombat, which is set to shoot later this year in southern Australia.

An alum of Indonesia's national Judo team, Taslim made his acting debut in the cult action film The Raid. His other feature credits include Fast & Furious 6, Star Trek Beyond and the recent Netflix feature The Night Comes for Us.

Taslim is repped by ICM.

[GeneChing]

'Mortal Kombat' Movie Finds Its Sonya Blade, Kano (Exclusive)
AUGUST 26, 2019 12:21PM by Mia Galuppo

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2019/08/third_version_of_lewis_tan_jessica_mcnamee_josh_la wson_-_publicity_-_getty_-_split-_h_2019.jpg
From left: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson | Courtesy of Subject; Getty Images (2)

'Wu Assassins' star Lewis Tan is also in final talks to play an undisclosed lead character.

New Line's Mortal Kombat movie has found two of its heaviest hitters.

The Meg actress Jessica McNamee is in final negotiations to play Sonya Blade, while Aussie actor Josh Lawson has closed a deal to play Kano. Also in final negotiations to play an undisclosed lead character is Wu Assassins and Deadpool 2 actor Lewis Tan.

While the plot of the film remains unknown, the video game centers on a massive roster of character fighters from different realms in a fictional universe battling for supremacy. Greg Russo penned the current version of the screenplay.

Blade, general of Earthrealm Special Forces, was the first female character introduced in the video game franchise, and has a long-standing feud with Kano, a member of the Black Dragon clan.

McNamee, Lawson and Tan will join previously announced stars Joe Taslim, who is on board as Sub-Zero; Mehcad Brooks, playing Jackson "Jax" Briggs; and Ludi Lin as Liu Kang.

Mortal Kombat is set for a March 5, 2021, release.

First released in 1992, the video game Mortal Kombat has sold over 49 million copies, spanning over a dozen canon games and expansions, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises of all time. Mortal Kombat 11 was released in April and has become the most successful launch in franchise history, with the game currently the best-selling title of 2019.

The film, which is set to shoot later this year in southern Australia, is being executive produced by Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear and Sean Robins.

The game was previously adapted into a movie in 1995 by director Paul W. S. Anderson that went on to gross an impressive $122 million at the worldwide box office. It was followed by 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

McNamee, repped by Atlas Artists, Independent Management Company and Stone Genow, is also known for her role in Battle of the Sexes and the Australian series Packed to the Rafters.

Lawson, repped by UTA, Silver Lining, Lisa Mann Creative Management and Jackoway Austen, will next be seen playing James Murdoch in Jay Roach's Bombshell, and has been seen on such series as Superstore and House of Lies. He received an Oscar nomination in 2018 for the short film The Eleven O'Clock, which he co-wrote and starred in.

Tan, who is repped by Gersh, Luber Roklin and attorney Patrick Knapp, is also known for his role on AMC's Into the Badlands and Netflix's Marvel series Iron Fist.

I interviewed Lewis Tan for Into the Badlands (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/index.php?p=article&article=1480) and Deadpool 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/index.php?p=article&article=1423). He's solid in Wu Assassins (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70838-Wu-Assassins).

[GeneChing]

Luv Sanada. This cast is coming together.


AUGUST 27, 2019 12:47PM PT
‘Mortal Kombat’ Reboot Finds Its Shang Tsung and Scorpion (EXCLUSIVE) (https://variety.com/2019/film/news/mortal-kombat-reboot-shang-tsung-scorpion-chin-han-hiroyuki-sanada-1203315673/)
By JUSTIN KROLL
Film Reporter
@https://twitter.com/krolljvar

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/mortal-kombat-split.jpg?w=1000&h=562&crop=1
CREDIT: MEDIAPUNCH/SHUTTERSTOCK/ROB LATOUR

New Line continues to ramp up its pre-production on its “Mortal Kombat” reboot, tapping Chin Han to play Shang Tsung and Hiroyuki Sanada to play Scorpion.

The two join Joe Taslim (Sub Zero), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Josh Lawson (Kano), Tadanobu Asano (Raiden), Mehcad Brooks (Jackson “Jax” Bridges), Sisi Stringer (Mileena) and Lewis Tan.

Simon McQuoid is directing and James Wan and Todd Garner are producing.

While the plot of the film remains unknown, the video game centers on a massive roster of character fighters from different realms in a fictional universe battling for supremacy. Greg Russo penned the current version of the screenplay.

Shang Tsung is one of the few original “Mortal Kombat” characters, having debuted in the first “Mortal Kombat” arcade game as the final boss. Shang Tsung is a powerful evil warlock and shapeshifter who absorbs the souls of those he defeats in order to maintain his youth and power. As the great sorcerer of the Outworld, Shang Tsung wants Earth defeated so he can build an empire. He is the arch-nemesis to Liu Kang, who will be portrayed by Ludi Lin. In the original pic, he was played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

As for Scorpion, another classic character from the original Midway game, the antihero was an undead ninja warrior seeking revenge for the person who killed him.

“Mortal Kombat” is set for a March 5, 2021, release.

First released in 1992, “Mortal Kombat” has sold over 49 million copies, spanning over a dozen canon games and expansions. “Mortal Kombat 11” was released in April and is currently the best-selling title of 2019.

The movie is being executive produced by Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear and Jeremy Stein.

Best known for starring opposite Christian Bale in “The Dark Knight,” Han was most recently seen starring with Dwayne Johnson in “Skyscraper.” His other recent work includes Roland Emmerich’s “Independence Day: Resurgence,” Netflix’s “Marco Polo” and Rupert Sanders’ “Ghost in the Shell.” He is repped by CAA, the Van Johnson Company and Echelon Talent Management, Inc. and Derek Kroeger of Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light.

Sanada most recently appeared in “Avengers: Endgame” and will next be seen in Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” “Minamata” and the upcoming season of “Westworld.” His other credits include “The Wolverine,” “Rush Hour 3” and “Sunshine.” He is repped by Lighthouse Entertainment and CAA and attorney Kelly Crabb.

Correction: The article originally referred to Shang Tsung as Shang Tsu

[GeneChing]

Elissa Cadwell Will Play the Vampire Nitara in the James Wan-Produced ‘Mortal Kombat’ Movie (https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3593725/elissa-cadwell-will-play-vampire-nitara-james-wan-produced-mortal-kombat-movie/)
Published 1 day ago on November 11, 2019
By John Squires

https://bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/mortal-kombat-nitata-e1573505723343.jpg

Writer Greg Russo recently teased that more characters from the Mortal Kombat games would be featured in the upcoming James Wan-produced film than have thus far been announced, and on that note, today brings word that Nitara will appear in the movie. The character will be played by stuntwoman Elissa Cadwell (Aquaman), Russo confirms.

Nitara, a vampire who drinks the blood of her enemies, first appeared in 2002’s Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Check out her patented “Feast of Blood” Fatality below!

The ensemble cast also includes Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Chin Han as Shang Tsun, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden and Sisi Stringer as Mileena. Lewis Tan (Wu Assassins) is playing an unknown leading character.

Russo wrote the script, with Simon McQuoid directing. We’ve been promised a rated “R” adaptation of the video games that will most definitely feature Fatalities.

The fight will begin on March 5, 2021. Plot details are under wraps at this time.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVcQ5AlTnHY

https://i2.wp.com/bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/elissa.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1


John Squires Writer in the horror community since 2008. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has three awesome cats. Still plays with toys.
The vid is hysterical...:p

[GeneChing]

'Flash' and 'Matrix 4' Get Release Dates (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/flash-matrix-4-get-release-dates-1261939)
DECEMBER 11, 2019 12:19PM by Aaron Couch, Borys Kit

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/768x433/2019/12/justice_league_the_matrix_split.jpg
Ezra Miller as The Flash in 'Justice League' (left), Keanu Reeves in 'The Matrix' | Warner Bros./Photofest

Warner Bros. has also undated 'Akira,' which was put on pause when filmmaker Taika Waititi signed on for a fourth 'Thor' movie over the summer.

Warner Bros. has announced release dates for two of its upcoming tentpoles, The Flash and the latest Matrix sequel.

The untitled Matrix film is set to open May 21, 2021, while the long-gestating Flash movie is set to bow July 1, 2022. The studio has also undated Akira, the manga adaptation that has Taika Waititi attached to direct but was put on hold in July when the filmmaker signed on to helm a fourth Thor film for Marvel Studios. It previously was slated for the date now occupied by the Matrix pic.

In a strange twist, the Matrix sequel is now set to go against Lionsgate's John Wick: Chapter 4, with both films starring Keanu Reeves. Matrix co-creator Lana Wachowski is directing the upcoming Matrix effort, which also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Carrie-Anne Moss, Neil Patrick Harris and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's announcement marks the latest release-date shuffle for The Flash, which has long-struggled in its development process. Ezra Miller stars as the DC Comics speedster and made his first appearance in a cameo in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The studio had initially planned to get a solo outing ready for a 2018 release but creative challenges and musical chairs for the director's seat kept pushing any start of production back. And back again. It filmmaker Andy Muschietti is on board as director now, with a shoot planned for next year.

Additionally, Warner Bros. has moved the release of its Mortal Kombat reboot up six weeks to Jan. 15, 2021, and has also dated an untitled project about political activist Fred Hampton for Aug. 21, 2020.


The Hollywood Reporter
AARON COUCH
aaron.couch@thr.com
@AaronCouch
BORYS KIT
@borys_kit


THREADS
John Wick 4 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71307-John-Wick-Chapter-4) May 21, 2021
Matrix 4 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70161-Matrix-4) May 21, 2021

Mortal Kombat (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot) August 20, 2020
Akira (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?50245-Akira) undated

[GeneChing]

I really don't want to have to invest in HBO Max...


'Mortal Kombat' Delays Release Amid HBO Max Shift (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mortal-kombat-delays-release-amid-hbo-max-shift)
DECEMBER 14, 2020 3:25PM by Aaron Couch, Pamela McClintock
https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2019/01/mortal_kombat_11_trailer_still-928x523.jpg
Screengrab/WB Games
Fellow Warner Bros.' movies 'Tom and Jerry' and 'Reminiscence' also shift as the studio prepares to debut its entire 2021 slate of films on HBO Max and in cinemas simultaneously.
It'll be a few more months before it's time to fight. Warner Bros. and New Line are pushing back the release of their Mortal Kombat reboot from Jan. 15, 2021, to April 16, 2021.

The new date was announced Monday, less than two weeks after the studio revealed it will debut its entire 2021 slate of films on HBO Max and in cinemas due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Monday's follow-up announcement also included new dates for Tim Story's family film Tom and Jerry, which is moving up from March 5, 2021, to Feb. 26, 2021, and filmmaker Lisa Joy's sci-fi drama Reminiscence, which has been taken off the calendar. It previously was dated for April 16, 2021, and is expected to find a new home at some point in 2021.

Mortal Kombat, based on the popular video game series about a martial arts tournament held for the fate of the world, is from first-time director Simon McQuoid with James Wan producing.

The cast includes Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Briggs and Lewis Tan in a mystery role.

Reminiscence marks the feature directorial debut of Joy — known for HBO's Westworld — and stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandie Newton, Daniel Wu and Cliff Curtis.

Joy is married to filmmaker Jonathan Nolan, the brother of Christopher Nolan, who has been vocal in his criticism of the studio's decision to shatter the theatrical window and send its 2021 slate to HBO Max.

Tom and Jerry, based on the classic cat and mouse cartoon, stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Colin Jost, Rob Delaney, Pallavi Sharda, Jordan Bolger, Patsy Ferran, Nicky Jam, Bobby Cannavale, Lil Rel Howery and Ken Jeong.



The Hollywood Reporter
AARON COUCH
aaron.couch@thr.com
@AaronCouch
PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
thrnews@thr.com

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dRzQIaAjSM

threads
Godzilla-vs-Kong (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71975-Godzilla-vs-Kong)
Suicide-Squad-2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71225-Suicide-Squad-2)
http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot
Matrix-4 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70161-Matrix-4)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDYfvGlhC9w

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSyT3XAFcSQ

[GeneChing]

‘Mortal Kombat’ Going A Week Later In April, Leaving Breathing Room For ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ (https://deadline.com/2021/03/mortal-kombat-going-a-week-later-in-april-leaving-breathing-room-for-godzilla-vs-kong-1234724859/)

By Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor
@AwardsTony

March 30, 2021 2:46pm


https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/mortal-kombat.jpeg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
New Line’s Mortal Kombat is opening on April 23 now, not April 16.

Last minute decision comes as Warner Bros. is about to sop up $20M-$30M over the next five days from the opening of Legendary’s Godzilla vs. Kong which will rep the biggest domestic B.O. opening during the pandemic.

Also, given the heat on Mortal Kombat –the pic’s red trailer had the most views ever for a red band trailer at 116M– each week that passes brings the opportunity that seating capacity restrictions will ease greatly, allowing more moviegoers to enjoy the feature on the big screen. It’s bound to be another big one for Warner Bros. at the B.O. even though it’s also available on HBO Max.

Disney’s pushing of Marvel’s Black Widow from May 7 to July 9 also leaves more room for Mortal Kombat to leg out.


threads
Godzilla-vs-Kong (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71975-Godzilla-vs-Kong)
Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot)

I've seen the Mortal Kombat screener. I enjoyed it for it's flawless victory. When you see it, you'll understand.

[GeneChing]

Read Mortal Kombat: Why the Movie Created New Main Character Cole Young (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/mortal-kombat-lewis-tan-new-main-character-cole-young/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Lewis-Tan-as-Cole-in-Mortal-Kombat.jpeg?resize=768%2C432

I neglected to post my previous feature. Read Mortal Kombat: The Challenges of Making the Movie Reboot (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/mortal-kombat-movie-reboot-challenges-cole-young-easter-eggs/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mortal-kombat-reboot-scorpion.jpg?resize=768%2C432

I have one more interview coming. It'll drop by Friday I reckon.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKfzjGJu5do

[GeneChing]

Lewis is about to blow up.


Apr 19, 2021 11:10am PT
‘Mortal Kombat’ Star Lewis Tan to Lead David Ignatius Series Adaptation ‘Quantum Spy’ (EXCLUSIVE) (https://variety.com/2021/film/news/lewis-tan-mortal-kombat-david-ignatius-quantum-spy-1234954803/)
Boies/Schiller to produce pilot with Anonymous Content, Flame Ventures, Tony Krantz


By Matt Donnelly
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Lewis-Tan.jpg
Courtesy of Lewis Tan
“Mortal Kombat” star Lewis Tan has landed the leading role in an anticipated adaptation of the David Ignatius novel “Quantum Spy.”

Tan will serve as star and co-executive producer on the pilot from Boies/Schiller Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Flame Ventures and “24” alum Tony Krantz.

The project was first in development at NBC, though Boies/Schiller has renewed rights solely and will take the project to a slew of buyers this week, sources said. The work from Ignatius, the award-winning Washington Post columnist, follows a top-secret American quantum research lab compromised by a Chinese mole.

Tan will play newly-assigned Chinese-American CIA officer Harris Chang, tasked to hunt down the traitor. Soon, he’s caught in an ever-expanding maze of spymasters, assassins and temptations turning the investigation into a personal obsession. Though action-packed and sexy, the property also gets to the heart of a timely discussion in content and across the country — what does it mean to be an American hero?

Boies/Schiller president Zack Schiller is overseeing on behalf of his company, with Alex Goldstone for Anonymous Content. Dave Kalstein, repped by Anonymous, is scripting the adaptation and will also executive produce. Kalstein just wrapped production on “Treadstone” for USA, on which he oversaw writing and production across four continents. Previously, he served as co-executive producer on “Quantico” and also on “NCIS:LA” where he produced more than twenty-five episodes. He has also developed shows at CBS, Showtime, and NBC. The “Quantum Spy” package was assembled by CAA.

Tan will lead the Warner Bros. theatrical/HBO Max hybrid rollout of “Mortal Kombat,” adapted from the classic video game and set for domestic release this Friday. He is represented by Gersh and Luber Roklin Entertainment. The actor is also set to star in the Netflix original film “Fistful of Vengeance.” His additional credits include “Wu Assassins,” “Into the Badlands,” and “Deadpool 2.”

Upcoming Boies/Schiller projects include the film “Lakewood” with Naomi Watts. Ignatius, who covered international affairs for more than 25 years, also counts the novels “Agents of Innocence,” “Body of Lies,” and “The Increment.”

threads
Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot)
Quantum Spy (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72036-Quantum-Spy)

[GeneChing]

My latest interview for Den of Geek: Mortal Kombat and the Man Who Gave Sub-Zero a Soul (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/mortal-kombat-joe-taslim-sub-zero-soul/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Sub-Zero-Makes-Ice-Sword-in-Mortal-Kombat-2021.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Watching Martial Arts Movies Amid Anti-Asian Violence Is Much-Needed Catharsis (https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7bepd/watching-martial-arts-movies-amid-anti-asian-violence-is-much-needed-catharsis)
Movies and TV shows like 'The Paper Tigers' and 'Warrior' show the beauty of Asian American survival.
By Frances Nguyen
June 8, 2021, 4:00am

https://video-images.vice.com/articles/60bd735312903c0093cf911a/lede/1623029363448-mortal-kombat.jpeg
IMAGE VIA YOUTUBE
When I saw the opening seven minutes of Mortal Kombat on Instagram, it was the first time I’d felt anything in the realm of joy in over a month. Given the contents of the clip, I was also a little horrified at myself.

Faithful to its video game source material, the violence in the film begins almost immediately. Within the opening minutes, a woman dies. A child dies. Hanzo Hasashi—the man who will become Scorpion, the character in the game I played most often growing up—liberates what looks like quarts of blood from the bodies of his masked opponents before confronting his nemesis, the man who will become the ice-wielding assassin Sub-Zero. The teaser leaves you at the edge of a fight that promises to be an enthralling one; here, once again, someone will surely die violently.


The theatrically gory film was an odd source of comfort during the weeks-long despondency I felt following a series of shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent. With a never-ending reel of brutal violence against Asians circulating online, there was something refreshing about escaping into a world populated by people who look like me and who are portrayed as strong.

Coming at the end of a year that gave rise to more than 6,600 reported instances of anti-Asian hate between March 2020 and March 2021, and where assaults continue almost daily across the country, watching a group of Asian characters wield their bodies with physics-defying agility and precision to deliver bouts that look and feel more like physical dialogue than combat made for a stark contrast to the images I was seeing on news broadcasts and social media, which tend to foreground Asian bodies as quiet, passive vessels for someone else’s rage.

Examining some of the most brutal recorded attacks that have taken place this year—on elders Vicha Ratanapakdee, Vilma Kari, and Yao Pan Ma—the abridged stories captured on camera repeat the same refrain: The Asian body appears and is brutalized; that’s all that we see. For Asian Americans, these scenes invite us to participate in a ritual of vicarious trauma: Without sound, our minds train instead on the movements of the bodies that appear on screen. We imagine ourselves and our loved ones in the only body that bears our likeness—the victim’s—and our own bodies are activated by the input of threat.

Up until recently, however, Hollywood has arguably done little to provide counter-narratives to these stories, narratives that acknowledge the real-life experiences and agency of the individuals who are navigating what it means to be Asian in America in real time. A report released last month—co-authored by sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen, author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism, and Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative—revealed that in the top 100 films of 2019, just over a quarter of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) characters die by the end of the film—and all but one dies violently. The study also notes that 42 percent of the API characters experienced disparagement, including racist/sexist slurs, with 30 percent being tokenized (meaning they were the only Asian character in the film or scene) and 67 percent channeling tired Asian stereotypes. Notably, only 13 percent were portrayed as “fully human,” (ie, complex characters with agency) which the report measured in terms of them having a wide spectrum of relationships.

I wasn’t alone in gravitating toward media where strong Asian characters took center stage. After the shootings in Atlanta—and after the video of Vilma Kari’s attack went viral—Yuen, the report’s co-author, told me that she and her friends started watching Kung Fu on The CW, a reboot of the 70s show starring David Carradine that premiered in early April.

Though the original was not without its shortcomings (the lead role, of a half-Chinese Shaolin monk who wanders the Wild West, went to the white actor instead of Bruce Lee, despite Carradine having no prior martial arts training), the CW series gives the story a 21st century update. This time around, the lead is an Asian woman—and, importantly, an Asian woman who kicks ass. Olivia Liang’s Nicky Shen stands alone as the only Asian American woman lead on network television right now, and her characterization as a strong and capable defender of her hometown of San Francisco offers some counterweight to the blunt fact that Asian women are twice as likely to report being targets of anti-Asian hate than Asian men are.

“Certainly, our show is not the solution, but I hope that we are a part of the solution,” showrunner Christina M. Kim said in a press conference a day after the Atlanta shootings.

As Yuen sees it, the show’s main draw is its constellation of rich characters with developed backstories. “As an Asian American watching it, I feel empowered, not just because there’s martial arts but also in seeing people who aren’t just the sidekick, or the friend, or the villain,” she said. “They are the leads, and you feel like you can see yourself in different parts of them.” Ultimately, she said, that’s the goal of the report: for Hollywood to represent API characters as complex, multidimensional human beings—just like in real life.

The Kung Fu reboot isn’t the only recent work that draws on martial arts as a vehicle for telling more three-dimensional human stories. The Paper Tigers—a charming comedy about three washed-up, middle-aged former kung fu disciples looking to avenge their sifu’s murder—uses the martial art as a way of telling a story about redemption, brotherhood, and becoming men.

Released to streaming platforms and select theaters on May 7, The Paper Tigers complicates the strong-versus-weak narrative by presenting its heroes as both in different moments. They’re strong when they’re aligned to the teachings of kung fu—which espouse traditional Eastern values like honor, discipline, humility, and bravery—and weak, both physically and morally, when they stray from them. Throughout the film, the men contend with choosing when to fight and when to walk away: When his son gets beat up by the school bully, Danny, the lead character, tells the boy that he should have walked away from the kid who has been terrorizing him and his friend. Later, after one of the Tigers is sorely wounded, Danny heads off to a fight, but not before calling his son to tell him that he’s proud of him for sticking up for his friend. Fearing that he might not make it to see another day, he tells his son how to make a fist, but offers this information with a warning: “If you go looking for a fight, that makes you the bully.”

Beyond the moments of pitch-perfect comedy (see: the many fortune cookie-worthy proverbs doled out by a white sifu, the men’s former schoolmate rival, in Cantonese, which none of them understand), there’s also something deeply gratifying about seeing bodies, out of practice for 25 years, reckon with their limitations and slowly relearn their discipline, building back their strength over time. Tran Quoc Bao, the film’s writer and director, said he wanted to highlight martial arts as a practice of discovering one’s inner strength, and learning the right moment to express it. “With martial arts,” he said, “it’s that constant sharpening of the sword knowing that you can hang it up and not use it.”
continued next post

[GeneChing]

As it turns out, the film’s resonance with the present moment is something of a coincidence: Tran conceived the story a decade ago, drawing on his experiences growing up in a multicultural martial arts community in Seattle. He never imagined it would be released during a pandemic, much less at a time of surging racist violence.

“Obviously, there’s a different subtext now that kind of lingers in the air,” he told me. Still, with its subtle allusions to race and cultural appropriation, the film hits upon facets of the Asian American experience that feel just as relevant now as they did several decades ago. Importantly, it’s also an Asian American film that exists on its own terms. Though it centers non-white experience, it doesn’t announce itself as such—not to the point of color-blindness, but in a way where cultural difference feels normal, and honored.

It’s nice to see martial arts, and kung fu especially, treated with reverence and respect. Although kung fu and martial arts movies have been a part of Hollywood’s diet since the 70s, the form has too often been relegated to an unintentional sub-genre of comedy—one replete with its fair share of racist stereotypes. As the report notes, a large component of the anti-Asian racism perpetuated in pop culture is the representation of Asian men as weak and effeminate compared to their Western counterparts—an emasculation that continues to be expressed by Hollywood through the physical domination of Asian characters by predominantly white leading characters.

One of the most notorious examples is Quentin Tarantino’s characterization of Lee, the most beloved and celebrated martial artist of all time. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the Lee character—caricatured as a toxically masculine showboat—challenges Brad Pitt’s stuntman character Cliff Booth to a three-round fight. It technically results in a draw, but Lee walks away humiliated after Booth handily throws him into a car.

Yuen described the scene as exemplifying American pop culture’s impulse “to take a strong Asian man down a notch.”

“They get these really amazing Asian actors who are at the top of their martial arts game, and then they have the white lead beat them up in order to show his prowess and maintain a kind of racial hierarchy,” she said.

Not surprisingly, over the past year, there have been disturbing reflections of that dynamic in real life. After a man of Chinese descent was assaulted in an unprovoked attack outside New York City’s Penn Station in March, his attacker reportedly assumed a mocking kung fu stance before fleeing the scene.

“It makes them feel better about themselves to beat up an Asian whom they feel is the enemy, because Hollywood has historically represented Asians as enemies,” said Yuen. Trump’s “kung flu” rhetoric from last year, part of his campaign to scapegoat Asians as foreign vectors of disease, certainly hasn’t helped.

Warrior, a Cinemax original series with an Asian-dominant cast that premiered in 2019, is yet another martial arts-related project that attempts to examine and subvert this sort of racist scapegoating. With a premise conceived by the late Bruce Lee himself, the show is set during the Tong Wars of San Francisco in the 1870s—a period in American history that arguably gave birth to some of the most enduring and damaging Asian American stereotypes, from that of the disease-carrying foreigner to the Chinatown gangster and the brothel worker. The series follows Ah Sahm (played by Andrew Koji), a kung fu prodigy who becomes a hatchet man for a powerful tong, or criminal brotherhood, as it vies with rivals in Chinatown for control over resources. Notably, it’s set on the eve of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which effectively banned all immigration from China until 1943, in addition to prohibiting Chinese immigrants from becoming American citizens.

“[In the show], we are dealing with the introduction of the Chinese mythology and propaganda machine,” said Olivia Cheng, who plays Ah Toy, a fictionalized version of the eponymous Chinatown madame known as the first recorded Chinese prostitute in America. In an interview with VICE, Cheng said that she was challenged with not only honoring the real Ah Toy’s life but also playing against the traps of one of Hollywood’s favorite and most harmful tropes about Asian women: the “dragon lady,” an Asian femme fatale who wields power through sex.

I began the show a month after the Atlanta shootings, shortly after it was announced that the series would be renewed for a third season, on HBO Max. Given the heartbreak and impotence I felt, I wasn’t surprised to find myself drawn to Ah Toy, an Asian female character who seems fully possessed of her power as she navigates gender dynamics and a racist criminal justice system—power structures that are not only designed to oppress her but that render women like her entirely disposable. In the first season, when the police raid Ah Toy’s brothel as a means of signalling to its white citizens that it’s “cracking down” on Chinatown crime, she bribes the sergeant with a few calm words and a small red envelope. “A gift for Chinese New Year,” she says, meeting his gaze with an unflinching stare.

Cheng told me that other Asian women have expressed being triggered by her character’s profession, which she understands. She said she had to overcome her own reticence about Ah Toy, but ultimately decided to lead with her character’s humanity. “I definitely feel a responsibility,” she said. “I think you’d have to be incredibly vacuous to be in my position and not.”

Every character in Warrior contends with different articulations of power, said Shannon Lee, executive producer of the show and Bruce Lee’s daughter. “We’re presenting power when it gets out of control and the people who have to participate in that culture, who are the victims of that culture but who don’t think of themselves as victims,” she said. “They think of themselves as humans. They want what every human wants, and are fighting for it.”

As violent as Warrior can be (and disquietingly close to our current reality), I have been enjoying getting to know these kaleidoscopic characters—people who reveal new sides of themselves with every power play. Even as I tense at the scenes of racist confrontation (in the opening two minutes of the series, a white immigration officer singles out a man disembarking from the boat, calls him “Ching Chong,” and knocks him to the ground), I can take cover in characters with the agency to defend themselves. I can see them fight, and I can see them win.

“Catharsis is something that people need right now,” said Hoon Lee, who plays Wang Chao, a quick-witted black market arms dealer. “In the context of a show, you can experience—and, hopefully, exorcise—some of that rage that you might not know what to do with otherwise. That’s a primary function of storytelling.”

Martial arts might be a safe bet for a Hollywood looking for low-hanging fruit when it comes Asian representation, but in this new slate of film and television shows, it’s also the Trojan Horse: a vehicle for Asian characters whose identities are as layered and complex as people are in real life. And while, yes, these bodies encounter brutal violence, they survive to experience what lies beyond it—joy, grief, rage, and humor together. In devastating times like these, we need storytelling that shows us that access to the full spectrum of human experience is possible—not just suffering.


threads
Stop-Asian-Hate (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72003-Stop-Asian-Hate)
Warrior (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68676-Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior)
Kung Fu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71750-Kung-Fu-TV-show-CW-REMAKE)
Once-Upon-a-Time-in-Hollywood (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70864-Once-Upon-a-Time-in-Hollywood)
Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot)

[GeneChing]

Catching up with cinema. READ The 2021 Martial Movie Trilogy: SHANG-CHI, SNAKE EYES and MORTAL KOMBAT (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1614) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/2281_Martial-Movie-Trilogy_Lead.jpg

Threads
Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot)
Snake-Eyes (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70780-Snake-Eyes)
Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71109-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings)

[GeneChing]

New Line Moving Forward With ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel; ‘Moon Knight’ Scribe Jeremy Slater Scripting (https://deadline.com/2022/01/mortal-kombat-sequel-new-line-moon-knight-screenwriter-jeremy-slater-1234920121/)

By Mike Fleming Jr
Mike Fleming Jr
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Film
@DeadlineMike

January 26, 2022 9:26am

https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/mortal.jpeg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
'Mortal Kombat'
New Line
EXCLUSIVE: New Line is getting back into a fighting stance on a sequel to Mortal Kombat, the action-adventure film based on the blockbuster video game franchise. The studio has hired Jeremy Slater to write Mortal Kombat 2.

https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/jeremy-slater.jpg?w=208
New Line
Slater was head writer on the Marvel/Disney+ series Moon Knight, which stars Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke and Gaspard Ulliel, the French actor who died last week in a skiing accident after the series’ first season had been completed. Slater also is writing to direct Thread for Screen Gems, with James Wan and Atomic Monster producing. His recent scripting credits include the Netflix/21 Laps film Uprising with Travis Knight directing and adapting Stephen King’s The Tommyknockers for Universal and James Wan. He also developed The Umbrella Academy for Netflix/UCP/Dark Horse and was creator and co-showrunner of The Exorcist on Fox.

Based on the video game phenomenon created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, Mortal Kombat was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021 during the pandemic, opening at No. 1 at the box office and ranking among the top feature titles on HBO Max since the platform launched. The film was directed by Simon McQuoid, who produced with Todd Garner, E. Bennett Walsh and Wan. In last year’s action-fest, an MMA fighter sought out Earth’s greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld. It was a battle for the universe.

Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Tadanobu Asano and Chin Han headed the cast. No other deals for the sequel are locked at this point.

Slater is repped by UTA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and McKuin, Frankel Whitehead LLP.

threads
Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot)
Mortal Kombat 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72248-Mortal-Kombat-2)