Mortal Kombat: writer intends reboot as first film in a trilogy

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

So this is potentially exciting! In an interview with Comic Book Resource, Mortal Kombat co-writer Greg Russo stated that he wants to use the first film as a springboard for a new trilogy, stating:

When I wrote it, I conceived it as a trilogy; I didn't even tell the people I was working with I was doing it as a trilogy. Just as a writer, you never want to paint yourself into a corner or shutdown where your storyline could go…When I was writing the first film, I was always, in the back of my mind, outlining two more so I always knew where things could go. I would love to come back and explore, there's just so much of the mythology that we didn't have the time to get into [but] two hours is the right length for a first film. But there's more, there's the Shaolin monks, there's the special forces, there's all these spinoffs that you could see.

I wanted to make sure there were places we could go and certain realms, we barely touched them. For example, Edenia is a realm that I love and I love all the characters there — Kitana, Sindel, all these great characters — and as much I wanted to put them in the movie, the story said to wait a minute because that deserves its own time to shine so don't jam these characters in there when it's not right…And when it came to character selection, it's all about doing the characters a service. But I would love to write more and love to explore more.

Now, that all sounds well and good – and trust me, I'd love nothing more than to have Mortal Kombat become an awesome cinematic universe so my boy Mokap can get his own film eventually – but that of course is all dependent on if the first film delivers, which I'm still worried about. Still, fingers crosssed!

Anyway, here's the film's official synopsis:

A washed-up mixed martial arts fighter named Cole Young is unaware of his hidden lineage or why he is being hunted down by Sub-Zero of the Lin-Kuei clan of assassins. Concerned for the safety of his family, he seeks out a clique of fighters that were chosen to defend Earthrealm in a high-stakes battle against the forces of Outworld in a inter-dimensional fighting tournament that occurs once in a generation. Appearances to be made by Shang Tsung, Goro, Jax Briggs, Sonya Blade, Kano, Scorpion and more fan favorites!

Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat – directed by Simon McQuoid and starring Joe Taslim, Lewis Tan, Josh Lawson, Jessica McNamee, and Hiroyuki Sanada – will get over here to select theaters and HBO Max April 23rd!

So what do you guys think? Looking forward to the new film? Either way, sound off below!