Over the past few weeks, the player roster has started to stack up for the upcoming James Wan-produced Mortal Kombat reboot. The fighting game movie adaptation is gearing up to shoot in South Australia later this year, with video game commercial director Simon McQuoid helming Greg Russo’s script. Ready to get to know the actors involved in the tournament coming to theaters on March 5, 2021?
Digital artist and photoshop extraordinaire BossLogic has imagined the newly casted actors with his artwork. So while the movie may ultimately have a completely different vision for these characters in Mortal Kombat, these imaginings may give fans a taste of how the actors could pull off these iconic characters.
The first actor cast in Mortal Kombat was Indonesian actor and former Judo athlete Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero. The character is one of the original characters in the franchise who debuted in the 1992 video game. He has the ability to control ice and is defined by his famous rivalry with his arch-enemy Scorpion. Taslim has made appearances in movies -- including The Raid: Redemption, Fast & Furious 6, and Star Trek Beyond -- and the Cinemax television series Warrior. Check out BossLogic’s character concept:
Mortal Kombat has found its Lui Kang in Power Rangers’ Ludi Lin, who played the Black Ranger in the 2017 action flick. The actor has already played a fighting video game avatar in a recent episode of Black Mirror titled "Striking Vipers," and he played a small role as Captain Murk in Aquaman. Check out this look of Lin as Lui Kang:
Lui Kang is another one of the original seven Mortal Kombat characters. He is a Shaolin monk, inspired by Bruce Lee, who enters the tournament to save the world from evil sorcerer Shang Tsung. Ludi Lin seems to fit right into this lead role!
Next up is the casting of Jackson “Jax” Briggs, who will be played by Supergirl’s James Olsen, Mehcad Brooks. Jax became a playable character in Mortal Kombat II and he’s U.S. Special Forces and the brawny superior to Sonya in the game. Along with starring in the CW series for four seasons and counting, Brooks has also found roles in Nobody’s Fool, About Last Night and the series Desperate Housewives, True Blood, and Necessary Roughness. Here’s how he could look:
Newcomer Australian actress Sisi Stringer is set to play Mileena in Mortal Kombat, per The Hollywood Reporter. The character is also an oldie, debuting in Mortal Kombat II as the purple-wearing evil twin to Princess Kitana and “sex symbol” in the series. Check out BossLogic’s version of Stringer as her:
The last bit of casting news has Thor actor Tadanobu Asano as the Japanese god of thunder, Raiden. Makes sense, right? Asano has played Hogun the Grim, one of the Warriors Three in the MCU along with being an accomplished actor in Japan. He’s the only actor to not yet receive a rendering from BossLogic.
What do you think about the Mortal Kombat casting so far? There’s a lot to be excited about in the upcoming fighting epic, from the myriad of characters being adapted to the game accurate fatalities coming to the big screen.
