The long-rumoured Warner Bro.’s Mortal Kombat reboot finally has a release date, set to hit theatres in May 2021. Other than the news that James Wan is producing it and that filming is set to take place in Australia, nothing much else is known about the project. All we can do now is speculate about the cast, and assuming that the movie will follow the first 3 games, the list below is some of the names that we think would be perfect for the franchise!
Liu Kang – Sung Kang/Jin Zhang
Jin Zhang may not be a well-known name but he has an extensive range of martial arts movies under his belt, along with amazing acting skills. He could play an agile, quick Liu Kang, and a role like this would be perfect to really drive him into the Hollywood spotlight.
Alternatively, they could go for Sung Kang. Best known for playing Han in the Fast and Furious movies, Sung has a decent action background and has the acting credentials to play a lead character like Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat.
C’mon his surname is already Kang!
Kitana – Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan had a breakout role in Crazy Rich Asians and featured in Captain Marvel (where she recently won “best fight scene” for her scene with Carol Danvers). She could propel her career in action even further by taking on the role of the Outworld Princess, Kitana.
She already has an air of elegance which would be great for the character, and her acting ability would be great to strike up a relationship between Kitana and Liu Kang.
Shang Tsung – Ken Watanabe
Shang Tsung’s sophisticated and calculating persona would be a perfect fit for Ken Watanabe. Watanabe’s presence on screen, the way he can command respect, and his acting ability would make him seem like a serious threat even in his old form.
New de-ageing tech as seen in on Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel could also be used to present Watanabe as the younger Shang Tsung to the audience.
Sonya Blade – Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt’s previous role in Sicario makes her the actress to play Sonya in Mortal Kombat.
In Sicario she plays a tough, no-nonsense Special Forces operative, which fits perfectly with Sonya’s character, and Emily has the intensity and look to do the part justice.
Jax – Terry Crews
I WOULD LOVE TO DO THIS!!!??????????
Incredible work @bosslogic https://t.co/Q9QuQ2OgS6
— terry crews (@terrycrews) January 24, 2019
Terry Crews has a great record in action movies, and while his comedic roles could put people off this casting, he has appeared in some grittier roles too (Street Kings, Expendables), thus making him a great choice to play Sonya’s senior officer.
He also has a great build and huge arms, so attaching Jax’s bionic limbs would suit him to the tee. Plus, he seems super excited for a role in Mortal Kombat.
Johnny Cage – Ryan Reynolds
Johnny Cage is a self-absorbed, sarcastic, nut-punching failed actor who wants to prove himself to be a serious fighter, which is also a description for Ryan Reynolds (jokes).
Having already proven to be a success in the annoying but likeable role as Deadpool, Reynolds will have no problem transferring that to Johnny Cage, and he’ll be able to play the character in a charming way.
Shao Kahn – Dwayne Johnson
Shao Kahn is probably the most intimidating bosses in video game history, and Dwayne Johnson could bring his physical presence to the role of the Outworld Emperor.
His acting ability has grown in the last few years and we haven’t seen him in a (serious) villain role, which he could thrive in and his association to the DC villain Black Adam could be a source of inspiration.
Sub Zero – Hiroyuki Sanada
A veteran of several action and drama movies, Hiroyuki Sanada would bring a stoic, intimidating presence to the grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, if they take the route of the older Sub Zero.
The writers could follow the video game where this original Sub-Zero is killed by Scorpion in the first tournament and his younger brother takes up the name looking for revenge against Scorpion.
Hiroyuki’s performance in The Wolverine would be a great source to work from, especially in his battle against…
Scorpion – Brian Tee
Brian Tee played a small role in the mini-series Mortal Kombat Legacy, playing an angry Lui Kang, and he could draw from that same performance to play the hellfire demon Scorpion. Tee has a good record in action movies and his build could provide an aggressive-looking Scorpion, and he has acted with Sanada in several movies, with good chemistry.
Raiden – Donnie Yen
This was a difficult role to cast for because the representation of Raiden has switched between Asian and Western repeatedly, and it greatly depends on how much action he’ll be apart of.
I’ve gone with Donnie Yen as looks-wise he can fulfil the criteria of the wise Raiden, and his recent Ip Man movies have shown that he is a fantastic action star as well.
Kano – Jason Statham
Statham has the rugged look and personality to play the foul-mouthed mercenary Kano. Kano is always portrayed as being cocky and violent, a role that Statham has often played, most recently as Deckard Shaw in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Mileena – Elodie Yung
While the twisted clone of Kitana could be played by the same actress, Elodie Yung can provide a more aggressive presence than Gemma Chan.
Having already played Elektra in the Daredevil series, Elodie Yung would also look comfortable with sai’s, Mileena’s weapon of choice (other than her teeth obviously).
Jade – Sofia Boutella
Best known for her role in Kingsman, Boutella would be perfect to play Kitana’s best friend and protector.
Her previous fight scenes all looked slick and her physical build would make her an intimidating presence.
Goro – The Mountain
Big? Check.
Scary? Check.
Four Arms? No, but with good CGI, Hafþór Björnsson who plays the Mountain in Game of Thrones would be a great pick to play the iconic character Goro.
He won’t have to say much, so his limited acting range would not be a deterrent.
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I asked for Chris Pratt as Johnny Cage.
RYAN REYNOLDS AS JOHNNY CAGE
DONNIE YEN AS KUNG LAO
RHONDA ROUSEY AS SONYA BLADE
RAIN AS LUI KANG
TERRY CREWS AS JAX BRIGGS
IF YOU GET THESE 5 STARS
THE MOVIE WILL BE PERFECT
OKAY
-Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa for SHANG TSUNG. I like Watanabe and feel he has a place in Mortal Kombat, but I feel he’s a better pick for
RAIDEN if they go Asian. If they go the white route, I’d go probably Thomas Jane.
-LIU KANG, KITANA, SCORPION, SUB-ZERO, JAX and SONYA all good.
-JOHNNY CAGE could feasably work with Reynolds, but I feel Ryan might be like trying to give the role to Jim Carrey in 95. I could more see this going to Michael Weatherly of NCIS and Bull.
-As I took Donnie Yen away from Raiden, it’s because I like him better as KUNG LAO.
-Forget “Twilight”. If you ever watched “The Rover” and “High Life”, Robert Pattinson is KANO. Statham is too old for it now. There, I f*cking said it.
-GORO is a great pick, model-wise but maybe someone with else’s voice. With modification, he could double up in sequel as KINTARO.
-For SHAO KAHN, It’s difficult to say this, but Dwayne Johnson is too smal at 6’5″. I’d go with the 7′ Glen “Kane” Jacobs.
I don’t know Eric, I don’t think Rousey has the acting range for Sonya. So far she’s had bit-part roles in movies and I can’t see her really being anything else other than intense.
The only reason I didn’t go for Donnie Yen as Kung Lao was because he looks a lot older than what I imagine a reboot Kung Lao to be.
And I’m not gonna lie, I forgot about Rain! Does he still act?
DO NOT RUIN MORTAL KOMBAT WITH THE ROCK!
You might be shocked to learn that his name isn’t “The Mountain” you lazy twat.
Joe Taslim has been officially cast as Sub-Zero, which I think is amazing. I’d love to see more of “The Raid guys” in the new Mortal Kombat as well. Yayan Ruhian would make a great Shang Tsung, I reckon. Donnie Yen as Raiden also sounds spot on to me. Fuck having The Rock and Statham in this (Even though I do like The Rock).
I think Frank Grillo (if he can pull off a good Australian accent) would be great as Kano. Terry Crews as Jax and Chris Pratt as Johnny Cage would definitely work. Saying that, I think Scott Adkins could work as Johnny Cage as well. He’s definitely got the martial arts skill for it, although I’m not sure how well he could pull off a more comedic role. Ray Park, I’d just like to see in the new film in any capacity really. He was great as Darth Maul, and Snake Eyes, so I can imagine him really pulling off one of the cyborg characters, or someone like Kabal or Baraka.
Paddy, I’d be delighted to see more of the cast from The Raid too!
I’d love to see Ray Park in here too. Didn’t want to go through the entire game’s cast but I reckon he could work as Sektor. Keanu Reeves as Kenshi would also work. The Kenshi character was actually based off of Neo from Matrix Revolutions so that would be a good callback. But these characters didn’t feature in the original story so both of these may need to wait for a sequel ; )