A series of posters introduced the warriors: now see them in action in the first Mortal Kombat movie trailer! Be warned: they aren't pulling their punches. The trailer contains depictions of extreme violence and a whole lot of spoilers! Watch:

The trailer immediately announces the new movie's R-rated violence with a showdown between Jackson Briggs (Mehcad Brooks) and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). The Lin Kuei warrior catches gunfire in crystals of ice as it leaves the soldier's barrel -- and freezes both of his arms to shatter them for a violent origin behind Jax's iconic cyborg arms!

Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) schools new character Cole Young (Lewis Tan) on the supernatural nature of his dragon-shaped birthmark -- shared by an unseen opponent. It appears he has been chosen to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament, and a fiery vision of Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) may reveal his hidden heritage.

More of the opening-scene glimpsed in HBO Max trailers shows mortal Hanzo Hasashi wielding his trademark Scorpion's spear against what seems to be Lin Kuei attackers. He returns later in the trailer for a showdown with rival Sub-Zero, and to growl his immortal line : "Get over here!"

Shang Tsung (Chin Han) appears to meet with Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) in the location of one of Sub-Zero's earlier modern-day attacks. It evokes the character's classic early encounter in the 1995 film, as does Raiden's role as an encouraging mentor for Earthrealm's tournament competitors. His lightning casts a dramatic light over the gathered defenders.

The action-packed trailer shows plenty of fighting, from Raiden's temple of training, to the tournament itself. Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) wields the dragon's flame, conjuring it against what appears to be Kabal (Daniel Nelson). We see Kung Lao (Max Huang) deflecting Kano (Josh Lawson)'s eye laser with his hat, and unleashing a jumping kick against Cole. It also appears it may be an armored Cole Young facing the leaping wrath of Goro!

Jax also launches himself at an unidentified big man wearing armor reminiscent of Reiko, while Sonya mixes it up with Mileena (Sisi Stringer), Kano, and uses her pulse blast against a darkly dressed fighter that could be Nitara (Elissa Cadwell).

The trailer includes several welcome references to klassic game characters as yet unconfirmed. A painted tablet seems to depict Earthrealm's former champion Great Kung Lao, while a statue brings Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn into ominous view. Look closely and you'll also notice what may be Reptile materializing overhead in Sonya's bunker.

Mortal Kombat arrives in limited theatrical release and streaming to HBO Max on April 16th! Subscribe to the release day calendar event and download the MKO App via App Store or Google Play to receive notifications! Like and comment this story below and discuss more movie news in the Media & Merchandise forum!

Actor Chin Han is well recognized from movies like The Dark Knight and Contagion, but he's taking on his most iconic role when he becomes Shang Tsung in two months. He discussed becoming a sorcerer for Mortal Kombat in a recent interview ahead of the first trailer. Read on:

The GamesRadar interview spotlights the newly revealed armor Chin Han will wear as a unique feature of the new movie. The actor revealed the sense of power his bespoke wardrobe provided -- a key differentiating touch from previous incarnations, in both film and video games.

I felt powerful in that costume. It’s very flexible for fighting but, at the same time, it’s like wearing armor. It was a very dark, sinister, fun costume befitting of the character. To say much more would give things away.

The Singaporean actor was careful to avoiding spoiling much about his scarcely seen starring villain, allowing the interview to probe his personal history with the series, which included playing the early arcade installments, and enjoying the 1995 film which featured the iconic portrayal by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

Tagawa recently returned in Mortal Kombat 11, and although early impressions of the movie veer significantly from the source material, Chin Han indicates moves from the game were considered when creating an eclectic fighting style for his portrayal.

I’ve had training on other movies like Marco Polo with martial arts. More military operative training for Ghost in the Shell. But this is nothing like I’ve done before because the moves are really so iconic. You have to incorporate the iconic moves into actual fighting styles. That’s where it’s interesting. All the various forms of fighting merge in this film, which makes it so interesting. Joe Taslim [Sub-Zero] with his judo training, Lewis Tan [Cole Young] with his muay thai, and Max Huang [Kung Lao] with his wushu. For myself, I had to bring that all to bear, and obviously, my main source of inspiration is magician David Copperfield with all his magic tricks and sorcery. That’s me being facetious. But [Shang Tsung] is a master of the arts, so there’s that to focus on. There are spells and sorcery in different languages for me to remember. It’s almost like learning a different language, these spells.

On the subject of faithfulness to the character, the actor also confirms Shang Tsung will be a soul-consuming sorcerer with shape-shifting powers. He wouldn't reveal any more about how that is depicted in the movie, though: "That’s giving too much away, but I have to say… he’s a very tricky one. He shows up in places you might not expect. That’s all I’m going to say about him."

Writer Greg Russo went to lengths to stress the inclusion of Outworld, and Chin Han also mentions Netherrealm and Edenia. He does acknowledge that there is a balance to telling a different story in the new movie, which will also star Lewis Tan as original creation and a Shang Tsung target: Cole Young.

It’s such an expansive universe. The lore is so sprawling and it’s so easy to get in over your head as timelines merge, and so that stuff is canon. You have to respect that material, but you also have to respect what [screenplay co-writer] Greg Russo constructed together with Simon McQuoid. We would like to honor the fans first and foremost, but also be able to give them something a little extra – an aspect of the world of Mortal Kombat that they hadn’t necessarily imagined yet.

The official reveal of the first trailer is almost upon us! Make sure you check out the full GamesRadar interview for yourself -- and prepare yourself for more in the Media & Merchandise forum!

The upcoming Mortal Kombat movie has scheduled an official unveiling for its long awaited preview trailer this Thursday. The announcement came with posters featuring Sub-Zero and Kano from the movie. Read on to take a look:

Fans have been tantalized with an Entertainment Weekly feature, official promotional photos, and snippets of footage, but the first full trailer arrives Thursday, February 18th at 9:00AM Pactific Time. Joe Taslim and Josh Lawson were featured in social media posts making the official announcement.

The original posts feature limited particle animation over the posters and a red glow over the film version of Kano's trademark cybernetic eye. Updating: ... And now we have Sisi Stringer as Mileena. Add Max Huang as Kung Lao, Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax Briggs, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion. Tweets with the hashtags #MortalKombat or #MortalKombatMovie also now appear with a gold dragon logo [pictured below].

The trailer will arrive two months ahead of a simultaneous limited theatrical release and HBO Max premiere on April 16th. Subscribe to the release countdown to count the days and find & discuss more stories from the movie in the Media & Merchandise forum!

Originally launched in conjunction with MKX; Mortal Kombat Mobile has expanded into a unique collection of warriors from the games' arcade history right through to Mortal Kombat 11! The free-to-play app is now asking fans to weigh-in on some of the characters that could appear in the lineup for 2021! Read on for full survey details:

The developer is asking fans to preference 5 characters in a survey that opens the door to many MK11 and Klassic skins, as well as new playable fighters never included in the app, such as Fujin, Rain, and Stryker! The full list appears in random order when voting, but is isolated by game and new additions below:

Mortal Kombat 11

• Cetrion
• MK11 Frost
• MK11 Fujin
• Geras
• MK11 Nightwolf
• MK11 Rain
• MK11 Sindel
• MK11 Baraka
• MK11 Cassie Cage
• MK11 D'Vorah
• MK11 Erron Black
• Fire God Liu Kang
• MK11 Jacqui Briggs
• MK11 Jax
• MK11 Johnny Cage
• MK11 Kitana
• MK11 Kotal Kahn
• MK11 Kung Lao
• MK11 Mileena
• MK11 Shao Kahn
• MK11 Sonya Blade

Mortal Kombat X

• Kold War Kano
• Kombat Cup Liu Kang
• Corrupted Shinnok
• Samurai (Ronin) Shinnok

Mortal Kombat (2011)

• MK9 Smoke
• Stryker

Mortal Kombat Klassics

• Klassic Rain
• Klassic Johnny Cage
• Klassic Quan Chi
• Klassic Shang Tsung
• Klassic Tremor

Injustice 2

• INJ2 Sub-Zero

Other
• Kombat Cup Cassie Cage

MK Mobile recently cast a spotlight on its many Klassic Kombatants to celebrate the addition of Klassic Noob Saibot and Klassic Noob Saibot. Other recent additions include MK11 Shang Tsung and MK11 Noob Saibot.

Who would you like to see next? Share your Top 5 picks from the survey in the comments below and tell us who else you might like to see crossover from previous games!

MK Mobile is free to download & play from on iOS and Android from the App Store and Google Play. You can also download the free MKO App via App Store and Google Play to connect with the site and receive updates to your device! Use it to leave a like & comment for this story below and discover more MKM in the Mortal Kombat 11 forum!

Actor Joe Taslim was the first publicly confirmed casting for the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie reboot, and the actor recently joined The Art of Action to discuss his career, MK, and his thoughts on a new live-action Johnny Cage. Read on for details and video:

Johnny Cage has been notably absent from all official materials released since the casting of Taslim. The movie's screenwriter recently responded to questions about the fan-favourite, ambiguously noting no character has been "forgotten" or "replaced". The quote doesn't directly address his current status, leaving the door open to future appearances.

The Sub-Zero actor added fuel to speculation that Johnny Cage won't appear in the April release when he expressed a desire to see Art of Action host, and experienced martial artist and stunt actor, Scott Adkins (Doctor Strange, Ip Man 4) play the role: "... if we have the sequel, I really hope that you'll be a part of it. I really hope that they have to call you, and... Well, this is me, this is only my opinion, but I really hope that you can play Johnny Cage in it."

Skip to: Joe Taslim on Mortal Kombat | Joe Taslim on Johnny Cage

A first-look preview and official synopsis for the movie have confirmed significant changes to established plot and characters from the long-running game series, including the introduction of a newly created lead protagonist: Cole Young.

Johnny Cage first appeared in the original Mortal Kombat in 1992, remaining a stalwart of the gaming series right through to its most recent installment. His journey has taken him from the MK Shaolin Tournament and fighting Outworld's invasion of Earth, to the ranks of the Special Forces Outer World Investigation Agency.

The arrogant moviestar was played memorably by Linden Ashby in the 1995 feature film, and Joel McHale in the recent animated adaptation: Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge. Ashby reprised the role for Mortal Kombat 11 Klassic Movie skins released last November.

[Related Article: MK Legends Preview Pits Baraka Against Johnny Cage]

Mortal Kombat will premiere simultaneously in theatres & streaming to HBO Max on April 16th. Subscribe to the release countdown and join the discussion in the comments below and the Media & Merchandise forum! Special thanks to MK Online user gorostilllives for posting about this story.