NetherRealm Studios has set the next stop on the Mortal Kombat 1 promotional tour, officially announcing a live panel from the San Diego Comic-Con to end the working week! The developer promises you "won't want to miss" it as they delve into resetting the timeline.

Scheduled for a 3:15 PM Pacific start and running an hour long, the Mortal Kombat 1 panel is headlined by the new era of "A New Beginning with Mortal Kombat 1" on Friday, July 21st.

SDCC will be one of several stops along the road towards the September release date for the new fighter. Next month will see a playable build available to the public at the Evo World Championship and Gamescom 2023.

Mortal Kombat 1 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC starting September 14th for Premium Early Access, and September 19th for everybody else! Download the MKO App via App Store and Google Play to save the dates!

NetherRealm Studios is on the home stretch for upcoming new game Mortal Kombat 1, but Ed Boon has split his duties as Chief Creative Officer to go remote from the Australian set of the upcoming MK movie sequel! The franchise co-creator shared happy snaps with some of the new & returning cast via social media. Take a closer look:

It was smiles all around as Ed Boon mingled for photographs with a cast playing characters he helped create over thirty years ago! The developer is down under, expected to film a cameo for the sequel, which will feature several favourites from the original game, including sequel newcomer Karl Urban, already confirmed to have accepted the role of Johnny Cage.

Johnny Cage actor Karl Urban poses with Ed Boon in front of a red stage door on the Village Roadshow lot.

Death will be no obstacle to returning characters in the film sequel. Boon shared images with Joe Taslim and Josh Lawson [pictured below], who each seemingly met their demise in the first film as villains Sub-Zero and Kano.

The popular antagonists have been widely speculated to make game-inspired transformations into the blackened Netherrealm wraith Noob Saibot, and a metal-plated cyborg, respectively. For the latter, it will be a change that brings Kano closer in line with his iconic game counterpart, whose laser eye came from "arcana" - a conceptual device invented for the 2021 film.

[Above]: Ed Boon poses with Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Lewis Tan (Cole Young), and Chin Han (Shang Tsung).
[Below]: Photos with Josh Lawson (Kano), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), and Chin Han.

Boon also hammed it up for a solo photo with arch-villain Chin Han [above], who portrays Shang Tsung in the films, but showed there's no hard-feelings or proclivity towards evil, posing with a hand on the shoulder of Lewis Tan, who played a completely original hero created for the first film.

Nobody was in costume, but the cast in attendance might suggest any prospective cameo appearance places Boon somewhere in the realm of Earth. He previously appeared as a television producer who worked with Johnny Cage in the third episode of live-action webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Real-life producer Todd Garner shared a photo of Ed's chair on set, which simply acknowledges him as "Legend".

Mr. Boon, your chair is ready: Filmmakers pay homage to the series' 'legendary' co-creator.

Unofficially titled Mortal Kombat II, the film will also feature Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, and Shao Kahn, Sindel, and Quan Chi. Simon McQuoid returns to direct, with James Wan producing with Atomic Monster alongside Broken Road Productions. Filming is underway in Queensland, Australia.

How does Ed Boon fit in to the "weird" universe of the sequel? Does this change your perspective of the film? Share your reactions in the comments below and find & discuss more in the Media & Merchandise forum!

Fans eager to get their hands on Mortal Kombat 1 a month before the official release will have another opportunity thanks to a confirmed playable build coming to Gamescom! The convention will provide a welcome opportunity for fans in Europe and signals the games' return to Germany. Read on:

From Wednesday, August 23rd - 27th fans attending the Gamescom event in Koelnmesse, Cologne will be able to sample the latest installment in the long running franchise. It hits the expo floor ahead of Premium Early Access starting September 14th!

The German tour comes three weeks after the game will be available to traveling public in Las Vegas during the Evo World Championship weekend. The event will also feature high-level players competing for the Mortal Kombat 11 World Championship.

Mortal Kombat 1 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC in wide release on September 19th, with the previously mentioned Early Access available to Premium & Kollector's Edition holders five days early! Headed to Gamescom? Tell us all about it in the comments below and find & discuss more in the Mortal Kombat 1 forum.

Ed Boon has been a prolific fixture on Twitter for many years, supplying fans with all kinds of information and teasers, using everything from his avatar and header to fuel hype. A change in username is very rare, and the latest could signal a surprising connection to the Mortal Kombat movie sequel. Read on for rumors & detail:

You can always find the MK co-creator by his @noobde handle, but if you're searching for him by name, you'll want to keep your eye out for "Ed Boon down under".

The NetherRealm Studios Chief Creative Officer made the switch recently, adding the Australian flag to his username, with a tweet of the Australian map and a starry-eyed emoji following the quip "Speaking of Kameos". A dual reference to the Kameo support fighters in the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 reboot -- and perhaps a mission objective.

Speaking of Kameos ???? pic.twitter.com/hZu2f82oJ8

— Ed Boon down under ???????? (@noobde) July 12, 2023

The Mortal Kombat movie sequel is now filming in Queensland, Australia, and it seems as if the MK co-creator is on his way to the island nation to film some type of cameo appearance!

Confirming his travels to the other side of the globe; Boon noted the long fourteen hour flight ahead with plans for some in-flight movie viewing: "Time to watch Avengers Endgame…. 5 times in a row"

If he indeed finds his way into the finished sequel, it won't be the first time Ed Boon has appeared in Mortal Kombat media. He provided the voice for Scorpion in the 1995 feature film and its sequel, reprising the iconic shouts heard in video games with a few new words recorded for the beefed up role.

He also portrayed "Ed Goodman" in the third episode of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries. There he was a TV producer participating in a talking heads segment on Johnny Cage for The Electric Playground. The episode also featured NetherRealm's Shaun Himmerick and Matt Mullins as Cage.

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat Movie Sequel Eyeing Karl Urban for Johnny Cage]

So what do you think Ed Boon is up to? How do you think a cameo could factor into the film sequel? Share your theories in the comments below and Find & discuss more movie news in the Media & Merchandise forum!

The two latest additions to the Mortal Kombat 1 playable roster were revealed with an action-packed Lin Kuei trailer, but now you can get a more personal impression of Rain and Smoke with official biographies and render art. Check it out:

MK1's "New Era" presents these characters with subtle details distinct from their established status in the series' previous two timelines. Smoke joins brothers Sub-Zero & Scorpion under a remorseful Lin Kuei Grandmaster, while Rain's famed water techniques go a step beyond the fighting arts with no mention of his origins.

Rain (High Mage of Outworld)
As a student at Outworld's exclusive Imperial Academy of Sorcery, Rain amazed his peers with his singular aptitude for water magic. Having honed his craft of water magic into a fierce weapon, he now hopes to learn the realms' darkest and most powerful sorcery.

Smoke (Master of Stealth)
As a boy, Smoke lived to hunt with his family. Their final hunt, however, ended in tragedy. Having accidentally trespassed onto Lin Kuei lands, they were attacked. Smoke was orphaned.

Ashamed by his warriors' actions, the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster adopted Smoke. He raised him alongside his sons, Sub-Zero and Scorpion.

Eventually, Smoke chose to make the Lin Kuei's mission his own. But as he lacked his brothers' innate supernatural abilities, he set out to master practical magic. Having done so, he now joins them in Earthrealm's defense.

Smoke's boyhood adoption into the Lin Kuei may or may not address the relation of his fellow clansmen, filling in details of his past, while omitting reference to his nationality, and transformation into a mythical enenra, as established by the previous series reboot.

Rain's bio omits reference to his status as an Edenian demi-god, but that may not be all. Compared with other character bios, his single paragraph is uniquely brief, and some fans may note it differs slightly to a previous version prematurely circulated amongst the fandom.

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat 1 Lin Kuei Trailer Unleashes Smoke & Rain]

What do you think the lives of Rain & Smoke will lead to next? Share your thoughts about these bios in the comments below and keep the conversation going in the Mortal Kombat 1 forum!