The release of the new Mortal Kombat movie has given everyone a case of MK fever, but The Late Late Show has gone back to the nineties to catch Techno Syndrome in a sketch revealing the original recording of the famous Mortal Kombat shout. Watch:

Remember the nineties? That's the sketch as James Corden struts into the recording booth in double denim to record the vocal for MK's anthemic tie-in track. You might not be with his producer's choice of shirt, but favour turns as he struggles to get the right performance out of the increasingly confused vocalist.

Fans know Techno Syndrome was originally recorded for Mortal Kombat: The Album -- a concept soundtrack released in 1994 under The Immortals moniker. It samples the iconic shout of the Mortal Monday television commercial which featured recently identified and rediscovered actor Kyle Wyatt.

Techno Syndrome became the unofficial theme for Mortal Kombat after it gained further exposure through its inclusion in the 1995 feature film and its soundtrack compilation. A new version called Techno Syndrome 2021 was recorded by Benjamin Wallfisch and released to tie-in with the new feature film.

[Related Article: Surprising MK Anniversary Reference on The Tonight Show]

Listen to the song Emergence from the new movie and catch-up with the official red band trailer, then discuss more movies and music in the Media & Merchandise forum! Or go deeper into the timequake by revisiting the nineties in the 2d Kombat Klassics forum!

Mortal Kombat has officially returned to theatres but one of the iconic klassic fighters didn't make the final cut. Now everyone is trying to cast the perfect Johnny Cage for the sequel and frequent fan choice Ryan Reynolds has responded to his adoring public.

Social media followers and online pundits know Ryan Reynolds as much for his irreverent promotional campaigns as his starring roles in action movies. Never one to miss an opportunity: he responded to widespread Twitter discussion with a photoshopped finisher and a promotional message for the telcom he co-owns Mint Mobile

"What do I do with casting rumors and wireless competitors upset that @usnews just named @Mintmobile 2021's best cell phone plan? Finish ‘em!!"

It's a jokey self-serving move right out of the Johnny Cage playbook and it caught the attention of Ed Boon, who got in on the fun responding: "Uh.... @VancityReynolds ... we should talk" MK movie producer Todd Garner didn't need convincing, either. He's already been talking about Reynolds for many months.

Rumors persist that the filmmakers want to cast a big name for the sequel role, which was prominently teased at the end of the 2021 action blockbuster with a close-up on a Johnny Cage poster. What a big name means in today's Hollywood is still to be determined, with fans bandying around Marvel stars like Chris Pratt and Chris Evans.

Reynolds isn't the first actor to photoshop himself as the video game character: WWE's The Miz did it last week -- jumping immediately onto sequel discussions after the film's theatrical & streaming premiere. Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim submitted Scott Adkins for the part before the movie was even released.

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat Producer on Johnny Cage & Rain Omissions]

Ryan Reynolds has built up quite a filmography as the snarky action star of Deadpool and The Hitman's Bodyguard, but is the 44 year old right for the part? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join more movie discussion in the Media & Merchandise forum!

The new Mortal Kombat is out now in theatres & video on demand on HBO Max and the streaming service is celebrating the release with cake! It's gratuitous cross-promotion in the best possible taste as Nerdy Nummies feasts upon your fandom with an MK decorated cake. Watch and learn:

Watch: Mortal Kombat Cake Design | Black Widow Red Velvet Cake

HBO Max's Baketopia host Rosanna Pansino and judge & cake artist Timbo Sullivan are cooking up a red velvet dragon cake fans can sink their teeth into by following a previous recipe. The cake design is the Mortal Kombat main event and takes inspiration from the original & iconic Dragon Logo and its textured Mortal Kombat 2011 reinvention.

Mortal Kombat Cake Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 ¼ cups sour cream
• 5 ounces butter, unsalted
• 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons red food coloring

The cake making duo amusingly discuss the quirks of the new feature film and its dragon-shaped birthmarks -- inspiration for the more game-authentic dragon logo cake. You can find out more about that by watching the red band trailer and reading MK Online's spoiler-filled review! If that's not sweet enough for you, flash back to Cakewatch 2015 and check out the deadly dessert that celebrated Mortal Kombat X!

Mortal Kombat is available now to watch in theatres and streaming in the United States until May 23rd. The movie is the most viewed HBO Max programming and once you've seen it - you can look for Baketopia! Find and discuss more topics from the movie in the Media & Merchandise forum!

The new Mortal Kombat movie may not feature the martial arts tournament the series is famous for -- but it does pay homage to its ancient traditions. Series co-creator and original scribe John Tobias has been setting the record straight on various social media topics, and he's graced us with an original timeline for the Mortal Kombat tournament and its famous winners!

The first Mortal Kombat video game lauded iconic Shokan sub-boss Goro as the undefeated champion for five-hundred years! Far from any garden variety loser: it was his success that put Earthrealm in the precarious position of nine defeats in the ancient tournament. Borrowing the pro wrestling parlance used by fans, John Tobias makes it clear Goro 'was no jobber'!

Thanks to opening attract screen text that described Goro's dominant reign, we've always known he claimed the title by defeating a revered Shaolin monk known as "Great" Kung Lao -- but who did the legendary hero beat to become champion?

An official comic book written and drawn by John Tobias told us it was Shang Tsung all along, and in a series of tweets he lays out a timeline of tournaments that occurred roughly every fifty years over the course of a millennium. That spaces each contest out a bit farther than the average standard generation of 20-30 years, but he notes the timeline, similar to what they conceived during development of the original game, is a "paper napkin approximation" subject to the specific dates of a story, such as the 1992 of the original game's Liu Kang victory.

• 1000 -- Unspecified Winner representing Outworld
• 1050 -- Unspecified Winner representing Outworld
• 1100 -- Unspecified Winner representing Outworld
• 1150 -- Shang Tsung representing Earthrealm
• 1200 -- Shang Tsung representing Outworld
• 1250 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1300 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1350 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1400 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1450 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1500 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1550 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1600 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1650 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1700 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1750 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1800 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1850 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1900 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1950 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• [1992] -- Liu Kang representing Earthrealm

Tournament lineage became a topic of fascination last year when Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath sent Liu Kang to the ancient past of Great Kung Lao with a plan to rewrite history using the powers he claimed as Fire God and Keeper of Time. He also appeared in Liu Kang's arcade ending. Tobias acknowledges his original conception for the sequence events may no longer apply in the new canon.

The bald fighter can be seen defeating what looks like Shang Tsung in a mural in the recent feature film. He also defeated the sorcerer during live-action series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, which featured his tournament victory in the first episode. Great Kung Lao was also depicted in the original John Tobias collector's comics, licensed adaptations by Malibu Comics, and the Mortal Kombat II arcade ending of his descendent and namesake: Kung Lao

It would seem the next Shaolin tournament is still a few decades away, but fans will be able to decide a champion for 2021 when the 10th Annual Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion voting tournament gets under way very soon in the MK Online Fan Koliseum! You can also discuss more classic canon in the 2D Kombat Klassics forum and catch-up with the movie in the Media & Merchandise forum!

NetherRealm Studios has announced it will no longer allow games to be utilized by eSports organizer WePlay after a single season of Mortal Kombat 11 competition in the "Ultimate Fight League". The announcement was made amidst controversies surrounding the fledgling, cash rich tournament organizer. Read on for details:

The developer posted a statement to Twitter yesterday citing a commitment to serving fans and "differences in vision" with the Ukraine hosted oraganization, who entered the eSports market late last year with an injection of cash incentives that attracted several top players.

Competitive staples SonicFox and Tekken Master took top spots in the Mortal Kombat 11 competition held in Kiev in March, splitting $25,000 between them from a total $150,000 prize pool. The source of WePlay's abundant funds is speculated to be part of the problem.

Kotaku reports a controversial deal with Russian gambling site 1xBet as a mounting cause for concern for observers. A report by The Sunday Times documented various practises that led to a suspension of business in the United Kingdom, including gambling on children's sporting in Kenya, and advertising on illegal streaming websites.

Tekken 7 and Soul Calibur VI developer Bandai Namco joined NetherRealm Studios in the boycott, almost simultaneously releasing their own social media statement with similarly vague reasoning, adding "professional standards" to almost identical phrasing. WePlay Ultimate Fight League posted a response calling the development a surprise.

In a statement to Esports News UK, Weplay stated "We are aware of the fact that 1xBet does not operate in certain countries.. 1xBet has assured us that the brand abides by all the relevant laws and regulations in every jurisdiction in which it operates."

Final Round tournament organizer Josh "Icege" McWhorter gained traction earlier in the month when he expressed speculative concerns over potential links between 1xBet and organized crime, and the implications of WePlay's deal with the company. These claims appear unverified at this time.

The boom in spending has seen eSports develop rapidly, following and pioneering models employed in professional sporting competitions, but lacking in the organized independent regulation associated with monitoring and upholding standards and practises in sport, and other industries. Catering to a niche where the lines between players and fans are blurred, the field has been ripe for corruption and controversy.

Esports News UK reports that former NetherRealm partner, ESL, is investigating and reviewing their sponsorship with 1xBet. ESL took steps toward eliminating doping in eSports with a drug testing program in 2015, but the ethics of gambling advertising in this space remain a topic awaiting further examination.