Mortal Kombat stars Jessica McNamee and Josh Lawson sat down with us to discuss the live-action reboot.
Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat reboot is officially in theaters across the globe and streaming on HBO Max. There are a lot of discussions going on about the film, but most of them focus on the future of the franchise. I recently had a chat with Jessica McNamee and Josh Lawson, who play Sonya Blade and Kano respectively, and we got the chance to talk about the legacy of the franchise, why now is the time for the film as well as the future of Mortal Kombat.
“It’s exciting. It’s kind of a double-edged sword. It’s really exciting. I mean we’re all really hoping that this opens up a kind of whole universe of Mortal Kombat and that this will be the first of many to come. But there’s also an inbuilt pressure that comes through that.” McNamee told Heroic Hollywood. “There’s such an amazing fan base and fan following and obviously we all want to live up to the expectations and put out the best kind of most-true-to-the-video-game kind of film that we can.”
There hasn’t been a Mortal Kombat film in almost thirty years and I always believed that as technology got better, the chances of making a better looking reboot would get better too. But the question on my mind was why is now the right time for this film? “Well, that’s a good question. I will say that after the tough year that we’ve all had on planet Earth, this does really feel like the kind of escape that seems to be just so needed right now. It’s fun and it’s epic and it’s unexpected and thrilling and gory and all that kind of stuff.” Lawson revealed. “I think the fans have waited and deserve another shot at this reincarnation. But beyond that, even if you’re not a fan of the game, I think this is the sort of film that you’ve kind of been waiting for. All that frustration you want to take out on the pandemic, we do that for you in the film. Trust me, all that tension is released.”
The end of the film leads into a specific direction, hinting at future Mortal Kombat sequels and while some characters don’t make it, they could come back in some shape or form given the fantastical source material it’s based on. I asked McNamee and Lawson about the future of the franchise and while McNamee remained tight-lipped, Lawson said, “I think we just scratched the surface with this one. I mean look at the Model Kombat universe. There’s just so much more to explore. Not just with more characters, but even with the characters that we introduced in this film. I mean, they have so much more life in them.” Lawson went on to hint t Sony Blade’s connection with Johnny Cage who was teased at the end of the film. “As you said, it hints to something in a direction that obviously Sonya Blade has a very deep connection with in the universe of the game. So, yeah, there’s a lot more to it. Fingers crossed.”
You can check out the full interview below.
What do you think of the new Mortal Kombat movie? Do you think we’ll get to see some sequels? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Mortal Kombat was first adapted into a feature film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the filmmaker behind the Resident Evil series with Milla Jovovich. The film earned a worldwide total of $122 million and is widely regarded as one of the better adaptations of a video game.
Directed by Simon McQuoid from a script written by Greg Russo, Mortal Kombat stars Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Josh Lawson as Kano, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena and Elissa Cadwell as Nitara. Lewis Tan is also on board in as a new edition to the franchise Cole Young.
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