Brazilian website IG had a chance to interview executive producer Hector Sanchez at this year's E3 convention, and he confirmed the playable Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat (2011) will be the original from the first game. He also konfirmed Raiden and Shang Tsung will be playable, as well. Sort of a no-brainer there.

They also had a chance to speak with lead character designer Steve Beran and he revealed that the Living Forest will indeed have a stage fatality. If I had to guess, I would assume it's going to be something similar to what was seen in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks when you knocked an enemy into the mouth of one of the trees, albeit much gorier this time around.

The article is in portuguese, so you'll have to use an online translator if you don't speak that language but I've already did it.

http://colunistas.ig.com.br/arena/2010/06/24/mortal-kombat-volta-as-origens-jogamos-e-conversamos-com-os-produtores/

Translation of The Article

As soon as I arrived at the L.A. Convention Center in the tuesday, day 15 of June, I wise person which age the first game that I wanted to see: Kombat mortal. The trailer that disclosed the game to the world had fond of the Internet to less of one week and for all those days I only could think “I I go to give a hook in somebody! ”
When I bound the computer in the room of the press of E3 2010 I came across myself with one twitt desolating: “It seems that Mortal Kombat is not available to be played in the floor show”, said the publisher of a fan-site of MK. I could not believe. I ran for estande of the Warner Bros and entered in the line for the presentation of the game. Ed Boon and other members of the NetherRealm Studios were there, if digladiando in our front, showing fatalities and x-ray you move. As soon as the presentation finished I spoke for Mr. Boon, co-creator of the series, “legal good, but you the disappointed way that we cannot play”, with one sorrisinho of who leads reviewed of bare woman pro college it said: “It passes there later that I find that of pra you to play a bit. ” I finished playing much more that “a bit”, I could try the eight personages available: Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Nightwolf, Reptile, Sektor, Mileena, Kung-Lao and Johnny Cage (that now it has a tattooing of the proper name in the chest). “The normal” blows had changed a little, instead of having socos and kicks divided between high and low, now have a button for each member: arm and leg of the front and arm and behind leg. This combines more with techniques of martial arts and serves to leave the animações of the personages most fluid, but pra very does not modify feel of the game who already has experience with the Kombats Mortal 2D. I obtained to remember to me much special you move and to execute them without effort and is clearly, to order hooks, trippings and flyers as in the good and old times.
Assita the 10 minutes of fights of the new Kombat Mortal
and is on good and old times that the staff for backwards of Kombat Mortal wants to speak, history recounts the events of the three first games in a line of the alternative time where Raiden exactly receives a message from itself in the future, where the Armageddon already happened and Shao Kahn if it became the supreme leader of the worlds. Because of this plot, the personages and scenes gifts are the classics that the teams does not hesitate in admitting that they are the favourites person or thing of the public. Until musics that touch during the fights they are renewed versions of the compositions of Dan Forden for Mortal Kombat 1, 2 and 3

The controls also send very the Mortal Kombat 3, with the shock limited to a plan alone, faster rhythm of fight, many movements that hurl the opponent in air and several others that if use to advantage of the air combat. The race button did not come back, but dash has as to give one and glue rapidinho in its adversary and until inflicting more damage if you will be fast in starting its combo. Of it are also was the system “infamemente” known as dial-a-kombo, that it was introduced in MK3 and it consisted of using predefined sequências of buttons to execute “ready” combos. This brings much freedom to the game and with the rapidity in return, it is very easy to improvise beatings that, beyond efficient, leave very pretty.
Another return very welcome is of fatalities “of truth”. Mortal Kombat Armageddon used defames it kreate-a-fatality and Mortal Kombat VERSUS DC Universe had to use versions well less violent of finishers, therefore she dealt with personages who could not die nor to be associates to a game M Rated (classified for the ESRB as appropriate only for greaters of 17 years). The violence is in return with much pride, of this time the teams started to create the game for fatalities, element that before was for the end of the development cycle. This process they had left ideas as to combine fatalities, “if before the Kung-Lao had one fatality where it cut to one face to the way and another one where it decapitated a person, now it has one where it makes the two things.” It was this that Ed Boon said in interview to the site Giant Bomb and is truth, I myself I was victim of still more brutais things when I played against the professionals for backwards of the game.
Already a newness that called much attention and very keeps well the brutality climate is the introduction of x-ray moves, with them you can see the internal damage caused by the granted blows in its opponent. You need to wait its special bar to be full before being able to use x-ray you move of its fighter and for this it is necessary not to use combo breakers nor versions of being able them special that they cause more damage, since both the abilities use its special bar.
It also had very legal changes in the blood that if it sees during the fights: of this time it behaves as a truth fluid, falls in the soil, spots the clothes of both the fighters and dumb of aspect when elapsing of the fight. Also it has visible damages made to the clothes of the combatants and its bodies: the skin if tears and hurt bloody well great they go appearing for the parts of the fighters. Everything this contributes so that the fights seem much more brutais.
But I was not alone in the trick of I beat in the face not, also I used you advantage pra you beat you one papinho smart with adds of the desenvolvedores gifts. Steve Beran, lead to character to designer that already she more than works with Kombat Mortal the 15 years, said that the personage whose appearance receives more attention is always Scorpion, “it is the icon of the Kombat Mortal... E the staff of the teams really likes it.” Beran also disclosed, while I apanhava virtually, that the new version of the Living Forest will have one fatality. It will be that finally we will be able to shoot an opponent to be devorado by a tree badly faced?

The producer Hector Sanchez also left to escape some well legal information: Shang Tsung and Raiden will be played and the Sub-Zero that all we saw in the trailer and during the E3 is the “classic”, that is, the brother older than died to the end of the first Kombat Mortal. When I asked if this I meant that the game would have two Sub-Zero did not have reply beyond “stops to make me questions that I cannot answer. Daqui the little goes to say `to me ei, Hector, a Brazilian site has all there the information of the game, is guilt its? '”
Saying of the period “after-game”, Sanchez said that she will have launched personages and extra clothes as DLC for the game, “because the staff tires to be looking at for the same model with which it always plays”. This me seems a good strategy, because it even can serve to prevent a new “Ultimate”, where the game is relaunched alone with some personages and functions more... Even though people finished to see this to happen with Street Fighter IV, then she goes to know né?
What I obtained to see and to play of Kombat Mortal left livened up to see me very the game finished, what only happens in March of 2011, that is, until it has much time there desenvolvedores to make right them and/or to errarem much thing. But for what I heard of the members of the NetherRealm Studios, the intention of them is to please the fans of the three first games and to create a fight game that has as to compete in this Renaissance of the sort that is rolling. Based in what I saw, I believe that they have as to obtain this.