New 'Mortal Kombat' Movie Set For Spring 2021 Release By Warner Bros.
A new crack at adapting the fighting video game Mortal Kombat for the big screen has been in the works for years. Now the project finally sounds like it's becoming a reality. Not only did South Australia Premier Steven Marshall earlier this month that the film would shoot in Adelaide, Australia later this year, but Warner Bros. Pictures has given the new Mortal Kombat movie a spring 2021 release date.
Variety has word on the new Mortal Kombat movie release date being set for March 5, 2021, taking the early spot that blockbusters have started to stake out when they want to stay away from the crowded calendar in box office summer.
The new Mortal Kombat movie doesn't have a cast yet, but The Conjuring and Aquaman director James Wan is producing the film. Behind the camera will be Simon McQuoid making his directorial debut after being at the helm of plenty of commercials. That might not sound like the kind of experience you'd hope to see behind the camera for a movie like Mortal Kombat, but he did direct this Star Wars commercial for Duracell:
Plus, McQuoid also directed this acclaimed commercial for Halo 3 awhile back, which had an outstanding premise:
We're not exactly sure what to expect from a Mortal Kombat movie. Hopefully this will be a big step up from the last time Mortal Kombat was turned into a shoddy, rushed film franchise. Even though the first movie took in $120 million worldwide, it was quite the disappointing affair. The sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was even worse and it didn't do nearly as well at the box office with only $50 million raked in just two years later.
When production in Australia was announced earlier this month, here's what James Wan had to say about the movie:
"I'm really happy and excited to be bringing another show back to Australia with Mortal Kombat, especially after having such a great experience filming Aquaman. Now we get to experience South Australia with its scenic locations and a wealth of artistic talent to work with. It will be perfectly suited for this fantasy-action project."
McQuoid is also thrilled to be working in Adelaide since he used to live there:
"Having lived in Adelaide early in my career, I am thrilled to be back in South Australia to make my directorial debut with Mortal Kombat. We need many different elements for its success and have found them all right here—the uniquely beautiful landscapes, the outstanding world-class stage facilities and VFX houses, and the brilliant artists and technicians from across the film-making community. I'm grateful to the Premier and people of South Australia for having us, we're all very excited to be here."
Stay tuned for any news on casting as the start of production gets closer.