Ok... so I remembered today I got the electronic press kit PDF of MK and the full credits PDF that will appear at the end of the film. I finally read the press kit and holy shit, since today was an epic fail on reliable spoilers I realized I'm sitting on a nest of reliable spoilers and non-spoilers. So, get ready for a flood of official information from Warner Bros. Media Pass! And if you own a MK fan site or other MK web presence contact me for these free materials, 48 pages worth!
There are over 15 of these, they go as far as 15G, and the ones with spoilers use the spoiler tag.
Kombat Press Kit #1 - Ok, this one is a non-spoiler. Remember the official synopsis calling Shang Tsung the Emperor of Outworld? Guess what - it's been corrected!
From New Line Cinema comes the explosive new movie “Mortal Kombat,” bringing to life the intense action of the blockbuster video game franchise in all its brutal glory, pitting the all-time, fanfavorite champions against one another in the ultimate, no-holds-barred, gory battle that pushes them to their very limits. The film is helmed by award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid, marking his feature directorial debut, and produced by James Wan, Todd Garner, McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh. In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Sorcerer Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt him down. Fearing for his family's safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies from Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all? The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talent spanning the worlds of film, television and martial arts. The ensemble includes Lewis Tan as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson as Kano; Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks as Jax; Ludi Lin as Liu Kang; with Chin Han as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion. Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao and Sisi Stringer as Mileena. McQuoid directed from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, from a story by Oren Uziel and Russo, based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Jeremy Stein and Larry Kasanoff served as executive producers.2 Bringing the hugely popular property to the big screen, McQuoid led a team of Australian and U.S. filmmakers, including director of photography Germain McMicking, production designer Naaman Marshall, editors Dan Lebental and Scott Gray, visual effects supervisor Chris Godfrey, costume designer Cappi Ireland and fight choreographer Chan Griffin. The music is by Benjamin Wallfisch. New Line Cinema Presents an Atomic Monster/Broken Road Production, “Mortal Kombat.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Kombat Press Kit #2 - James Wan speaks on Mortal Kombat!
James Wan, who produced the film with Todd Garner, McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh, explains, “It's been over 25 years since the first feature film came out, and fans have been pretty vocal asking for another big screen entry. As a fan myself of the games and movies, I, too, wanted to see another theatrical version of this, and felt it was time again to revisit this IP that has been kept relevant in the game world but not as much in the feature world. “From the get-go Todd Garner, my Atomic Monster team and I were gun-ho about creating an updated version with today’s filmmaking technology, whilst being respectful to the fantasy tone, violent action and gore of the game that fans have come to love. We wanted to bring these vivid characters and stories back to the big screen in a modern, exciting way for a whole new generation who may not be as familiar with the films as we were growing up.” Wan and Garner discussed early on how to approach a fresh take on the material with a distinct nod to its history, satisfying fans but also hopefully gaining new ones. Garner says the key to that was “making sure we got the story right. We didn’t want to remake the 1995 movie, we didn’t want to shortchange the fans, but we needed an epic storyline that, even if you have never played the game, you could still become immersed in it.” “Simon had a strong vision for the world and the characters from the original material” says Wan, a master at world-building. “Even though this is his first feature, he’s spent years in the commercial world telling visual stories, and he worked closely with the writers to design the world in the film.” Garner adds, “When I came upon Simon’s work, not only was it visually exciting, but he really could tell a story in 30 seconds. One of the reasons why we were eager to work with him was because he really wanted to take this inclusive, grounded, more realistic approach to the epic adventure.”
Kombat Press Kit #3 - Greg Russo isn't the only writer. There was a team:
Writers Oren Uziel and Greg Russo developed the story that Russo and Dave Callaham then scripted. Russo recalls, “Respect for the canon was the mission statement I had from the very beginning.” As a longtime fan who ranks in the top 50 among gamers in the world and top 15 in the U.S. on the Xbox platform, that was a given for Russo, who, on a visit to his mother’s home around the time4 he began crafting the story, found old drawings and stories about the Mortal Kombat game that he made when he was 12 years old. “I dug them out and showed my wife, and she was like, ‘Wow!’ “Video games were always an outlet for me growing up,” he continues. “Mortal Kombat was one of the games I latched onto the most. I would spend countless hours at the arcade after school playing with my friends, and I had all the home console versions. My love for this property was fostered at a very young age. I feel this was always meant to be.” McQuoid adds, “The fans invest a lot of time and money and attention into the games and are invested in the characters. They know if back to front and they love it, and the writers made sure to respect that while also considering a new audience. That’s one of the reasons I loved the script—it had heart and soul and humanity underscoring the intense action and adventure. Every character is fighting for what matters to them.”
The only lead role in the film that gamers won’t find familiar is the story’s point of entry, Cole Young. A new character to the Mortal Kombat franchise, Cole is a gifted MMA fighter struggling to catch a break in the violent, competitive world of cage fighting. Unaware of his powerful heritage, Cole bears a distinct birthmark that he soon discovers has made him the target of Outworld's assassins. Desperate to protect his family and uncover the truth behind his marking, Cole is propelled into a dangerous journey where the only thing that can save him is unearthing his own power from within: his arcana.5 Lewis Tan plays Cole, a former champion now struggling to get by, fighting in illegal cage matches just to put enough food on the table for his daughter, Emily, and his wife, Allison. He loves his family more than anything in the world, but believes he is letting them down, that he’s not good enough probably never will be. But Cole will soon come to realize that his purpose is much bigger than he ever could have imagined. His journey to become a very different kind of champion begins as he learns the truth about the strange dragon-shaped birthmark he bears. Russo says that idea for Cole’s storyline came from his own life. “When I began working on this project, my wife and I were in the process of having our first child. I was dealing with a lot of those questions about what it means to be a father, wondering if I would be a good dad, that sort of thing. And I channeled all of those fears and emotions into creating the character of Cole Young.” Tan recalls, “I think the first time I played Mortal Kombat was in an arcade, but like most kids who fell in love with the action and fighting, I had it at home, too; I would usually play Kung Lao. And I would sneak and play late and night—and get in trouble! And now look at me, mom!” he laughs. The actor loved the mix of what McQuoid was offering with his take on the Kombat universe. “The story was really cinematic and at the same time grounded, heartfelt, dramatic, violent. What was cool for me is to play this father who, in trying to protect his family, discovers his own true destiny.” When we meet Cole, he is in the middle of a match. Tan remembers, “it was a powerful scene and it was one of the first scenes that we shot. Cole has a big MMA fight in the beginning against a guy named Ian Streets, who is a real bare-knuckle boxer, who also knows film fight choreography. But you can't really fake MMA wrestling and that type of stuff too, too well, so we had to go at it for like three days.” Tan relates that, at the end of that sequence, “Cole and his daughter walk out of this giant MMA warehouse in Port Adelaide—which they made look like Chicago. And they’re sitting together eating ice cream together and then all of a sudden it starts to snow. It's a summer night in Chicago, and these little snowflakes are falling...” he smiles
Jax is also responsible for recruiting Sonya Blade to Special Forces, and while she does not bear the chosen mark, the intelligent, steadfast soldier has also been digging into the mythology behind Mortal Kombat for years. A deadly knife-wielding fighter, she is as determined and no-nonsense as they come. Her dedication to unraveling the truth behind the mark has driven her to track down the few remaining champions of Earthrealm. Jessica McNamee, who plays the powerhouse Sonya, came to the role without a gaming background. “It was a learning experience for me,” she says, “and there’s a lot to learn! I read a lot and listened to a couple of podcasts about all the characters and the game—the whole universe—and that was really helpful. I learned Sonya’s backstory and all about the rivalry she has with Kano.” The actress says the latter helped fuel her performance. “If I’d just read the script alone, I don’t think I would have realized how much of a vendetta Sonya has against Kano—she really wants this guy dead, and that made playing their dynamic really interesting.” And a conundrum for the character. One of the things that gets under Sonya’s skin is that Kano murdered his way into becoming one of the chosen few. “She has such a predicament, with Kano at the root of it, because she really wants him dead, but she needs him to help save the world.” Because it’s up to Sonya and the mercenary Kano to see that Cole gets to Lord Raiden’s temple, where he will be trained to fight in Mortal Kombat, McNamee spent a good amount of time with Tan and costar Josh Lawson, who plays the gruff and unrepentant Kano. “They are such cool guys and a lot of fun,7 and we laughed a lot on set...probably to the annoyance of everyone else trying to get through the scenes,” she grins. “But seriously, they both worked their butts off. Lewis’s work ethic is unreal. Josh, whom I’ve known for a long time, is absolutely the class clown, so I always enjoy working with him.” Lawson relished playing Kano, who tends to be a fan favorite thanks to his brash personality, observing, “He’s a guy you love to hate, I think. He’s a mercenary for the Black Dragon Clan, an opportunist...he’s complicated. Is he good, is he bad? He’s antagonistic, self-serving and greedy, with a nasty sense of humor, all of which makes him a lot of fun.” Loyal to anyone who’ll pay him enough, Kano goes against everything Sonya Blade stands for and their rivalry, well-known throughout the Mortal Kombat universe, is played to full force in the film. Ironically, though he was familiar with the games, having played them as a kid, Lawson confesses, “I knew Sonya Blade, I knew Lord Raiden, but I never played as Kano!” The actor found it freeing. “I didn’t bring any preconceived ideas on who Kano was for me, I just got to discover it and dive into the character which was so fun.”
Kombat Press Kit #6 - Who the Hell are Emily and Allison Young ?
Rounding out the residents of Earthrealm, Cole’s daughter, Emily, is played by Matilda Kimber, and Laura Brent plays her mom, Cole’s wife Allison. Like Cole, both characters were, of course, created for the film. Allison is smart and protective and a devoted mom, and Emily, wise beyond her years— thanks in part to seeing her fair share of her dad’s MMA bouts—is a firm believer in her dad, and the driving force that keeps him fighting, even when winning seems impossible.
Kombat Press Kit #7 - Mileena Has a... WHAT!? OMG!! I'M SO EXCITED I'M GONNA SCREAM LIKE A FANGIRL!!!
A very slippery tongue... One of the Elder God’s most devoted followers is the vicious and unpredictable half-Tarkatan, half-Edenian Mileena. She is loyal to her creator and serves as both his warrior and informer. Wielding duel sai blades and with the ability to teleport, Mileena runs circles around her enemies and will stop at nothing to obliterate Earthrealm’s Champions. Mileena is portrayed by Sisi Stringer, who approached the role with great reverence for what she means in the canon. “The fans have deep connections with the character, and I knew they wouldn’t want her to just be a killing machine,” she offers. “From her perspective, she wants to live on by Shang Tsung’s side. There’s an emotional life behind her and that was something the fans let me into as I prepared to play her.” Among the signature characteristics of Mileena, Stringer describes, are “her horrible detachable jaw, where the Tarkatan teeth and her slippery tongue come out, and her bright yellow eyes that are really piercing. It’s tragic, really, because she’s a clone of this beautiful princess, Kitana, but cursed with this Tarkatan blood that makes her ugly, too, but also very powerful.”
Kombat Press Kit #8 - Some Cool Stunt Info... Another Sonya Blade without stunt experience....
Sisi Stringer trained four-to-five times a week in martial arts and fight work in Brisbane before coming to Adelaide for filming, and Jessica McNamee, who had perhaps the least stunt/fight experience of the main cast, made it clear to Gardiner and his team that she wanted to do as much of the work as possible herself, showing up ready to work at every rehearsal, spending even more time than needed. Gardiner said working with action film legend Hiroyuki Sanada was a dream come true and found him to be the ultimate professional. Though they didn’t have a lot of prep time with Sanada, just about two weeks, he learned everything required for his role in that time, including what Gardiner described as a 35-beat fight.12 What might have been the toughest challenge for Gardiner was to find a double for Joe Taslim who, after 15 years with the Indonesian Judo team, made the task of finding a stuntman who worked at such a high level and could match Taslim’s own skills quite difficult
Ireland began with one of the most iconic characters in the entire MK universe. “Sub-Zero was the first costume we worked on and got across the line. That was quite a tricky one because we weren't quite sure where to go with him. We ended up using quite a traditional Chinese pattern, a centuries-old Chinese armor. Once that was decided upon, it was all about the all-important mask and the hood. We16 decided to create this kind of sinewy muscle feel to them so it's almost like it’s his muscles. We made it out of urethane, so it’s kind of rubbery and more comfortable for Joe Taslim to wear.” For Lord Raiden’s hat, Ireland says, “We decided to up the ante with the hat and not make it out of straw but make it metal-like, but still based on original traditional designs. It was quite a challenge to get a hat that wasn't so heavy. We ended up using fiberglass materials with metallic elements in it, so it polishes up and it looks like a metal hat.” For both Kung Lao and Liu Kang, the designer says, “They are traditional Chinese looks based on Shaolin monks, although Kung Lao’s hat is actually a Korean-style hat. So, he’s got this Chinese-inspired tabard and a leather belt with jade on it. And he’s got armor that’s quite pointed on his arms and shoulders. And, of course, Kung Lao’s hat is very important. We recreated the classic hat and worked out the best way for Max Huang to move around in the easiest way so that the weight of the hat didn’t hold him back.” Similarly, Ireland offers, “We based Shang Tsung’s look on ancient Chinese armor and designed and sculpted a chest plate and shoulders of tortured souls, which we then built a mold from. His costume is very regal and has lots of gold and traditional Chinese-style fabrics and is elaborate and detailed. “We used a similar approach with Scorpion,” she continues, “basing it on a traditional Japanese Samurai armor and adding a few twists, like the sharp chain from hi kunai on the shoulder plates.” Of Kano’s costume, the designer says, “It’s based on a military background, with also a nod to cattlemen and farmers with his leather cross belt. He wears a cut-off shirt, Blundstone boots, which is an iconic Australian boot, and cargo pants—very Aussie, very ocker! “However, we wanted Jax to be quite modern and urban,” she continues, “so we gave him cool designer jeans with a bit of a military vibe and big chunky black boots. And I wanted to give Sonya Blade that feminine silhouette, but she has to be a tough woman as well. Her ‘uniform’ is a tank top, military pants and gloves, so very much in the same world as Jax and Kano but with her own sort of style, keeping her femininity in there too.”
Kombat Press Kit #11 - Makeup Effects and Hair... That birthmark, well, it's not REALLY a birthmark. Like I said it was it's actually a branding AND MILEENA'S WHAT, OMG!!! YOU GOTTA SEE THIS SHIT!!!
Kombat Press Kit #12 - Techno Syndrome Has its Place...
McQuoid enlisted renowned composer Benjamin Wallfisch to interpret the story’s themes and emphasize the film’s hard-driving, visceral action through a heart-pumping score. “When I was invited to come on board ‘Mortal Kombat,’ I was fully aware of the responsibility that comes with scoring such an iconic franchise, one that’s so deeply embedded in pop culture,” says Wallfisch. “My very first question was: what can we do with Techno Syndrome? What treasures are in that `90s dance track that could be uncovered, reinvented and blown up to a full-scale symphonic sound world? That task had to be the first step, as it was the most direct way to fully embrace the passionate fanbase of the game and original movies and send a message of respect and mutual love for the original. From there, it was all about developing character and story themes that matched the scale and sheer ambition of my friend Simon McQuoid’s vision. It was an honor to be part of this movie.”
Kombat Press Kit #13... SiSi Stringer Did WHAT!?
Children of the Corn, remake from 2020 coming soon... SISI STRINGER (Mileena) is an Australian Actress. In 2018, she graduated from Queensland University of Technology, where she received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with distinction in acting. Following her graduation, Stringer was immediately cast as Erin Lafond in ABC‘s TV series “Harrow.” Stringer recently wrapped production on the Kurt Wimmer reimagining of the Stephen King classic Children of the Corn, and her additional credits include the horror thriller “Bloody Hell,” opposite Ben O'Toole. Stringer began her career as a singer and dancer and found early success in musical theatre, starring as Little Inez in the Australian production of “Hairspray.” She currently resides in Australia.
Kombat Press Kit #14... No mention of Larry Kasanoff at all But We Learn Why this Film Has a "Rebirth/Legacy" Feel
It's because of the story guy! GREG RUSSO (Writer) is currently writing “Saints Row,” which is based on the video game by Deep Silver Volition, with F. Gary Gray set to direct. He is also writing “Death Note 2” at Netflix, the sequel to the hit film. He has numerous scripts in development, including “Resident Evil,” “Space Invaders,” “Robotech,” “Heatseekers” and “It Takes a Thief.” DAVE CALLAHAM (Screenplay) grew up in Orinda, California, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English. He sold “Horsemen,” his first screenplay, in 2003, and has since worked on 2005’s “Doom” (story, screenplay), 2009’s “Tell-Tale” (writer, executive producer), 2010’s “The Expendables” (story, screenplay), 2014’s “Godzilla” (story), 2019’s “Zombieland: Double Tap” (writer) and, most recently, co-wrote the screenplay for 2020’s “Wonder Woman 1984.” Having written for nearly every major studio, Callaham is also a Bigfoot and Loch Ness Monster enthusiast, and other passions include “Star Wars,” LEGO®, and Star Wars LEGO®. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two dogs.29 OREN UZIEL (Story) has written such features as “The Cloverfield Paradox,” “Shimmer Lake,” which he also directed, “Freaks of Nature” and “22 Jump Street.” In the “Mortal Kombat” universe, he has written for the 2013 TV series and the 2010 video, “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.”
Kombat Press Kit #15A...
Here are some filmmaker credits since the Cast are known...
FILMMAKERS Directed by.............................................................................SIMON McQUOID Screenplay by.........................................................................GREG RUSSO and DAVE CALLAHAM Story by..................................................................................OREN UZIEL and GREG RUSSO Based on the videogame created by.......................................ED BOON and JOHN TOBIAS Produced by ...........................................................................JAMES WAN TODD GARNER, p.g.a. SIMON McQUOID E. BENNETT WALSH Executive Producers...............................................................RICHARD BRENER DAVE NEUSTADTER VICTORIA PALMERI MICHAEL CLEAR JEREMY STEIN LAWRENCE KASANOFF
Kombat Press Kit #15D... What's that? You want to buy one of those cool knives?
Gotta go to the source on this... and they are EXPENSIVE!
Kombat Press Kit #15E... STUNTS... Guess who's not on the list?
Elissa Cadwell is NOT in this list, she is who Greg Russo originally cited as playing Nitara. It is unknown if she is involved and just uncredited or dropped out for creative reasons but these are the reasons I have heard. STUNTS LEE ADAMSON JADE AMANTEA CAMERON AMBRIDGE RICHARD ANASTASIOS CHRIS ANDERSON YASUSHI ASAYA ANDREA BERCHTOLD ISAAC BERNAUER BRADD BUCKLEY MARKYLEE CAMPBELL EAMONN GEOFFREY CARPENTER DAVID CHEA ROBBIE CLISSOLD ASTON CRABTREE SERGE CROZON MEL ECKERT MICHAEL M. FOSTER AMANDA GIBLIN GARRETH HADFIELD NIGEL HARBACH ZIA KELLY STEVEN KIMM ANGIE KOOPS ALEX KUZELICKI RI-JIE KWOK BLAKE LINDSELL TARA MACKEN XANTHIA MARINELLI STEPHEN MURDOCH BRIANNA PANNEKOEK PHILIP PARTRIDGE ANTHONY LUKE RINNA BEN SIEMER INGE SILDNIK DEMI SORONO HAYDEN STEWART LAURA SUTTON THAISON TRAN ANNETTE VAN MOORSEL PJ VAN GYEN CONNOR VAN VUUREN DARRELL WALSHE DANIEL WEAVER TYE WILKIE
Kombat Press Kit #15G... Nowhere in the credits does it list
ANY CREATURE NAME, instead they just use the generic Visual Effects titles. The 1995 film did reveal puppets were used. So no mention of Goro, Reptile or Saurian by name in the credits.
They knew we were coming for blood lol!
