The Mortal Kombat reboot not only hopes to begin shooting in Australia this summer, but also add an Aussie actor.

It’s been over 20 years since a Mortal Kombat film has hit theaters. But the long wait for another live-action adaptation of this immensely popular video game could soon be over as New Line prepares to tell it’s fans to “get over here” once again — a comeback after Paul Anderson’s Mortal Kombat in 1995 and it’s 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

The Mortal Kombat reboot, which has been spearheaded by producer James Wan and his Atomic Monster production company, looks to not only introduce a new character into the franchise but will also bring back some franchise favorites. With Simon Mcquoid locked in direct and a completed script by Greg Russo, the movie’s production is closer than it’s ever been before.

https://twitter.com/WriterRusso/status/1102620287659458560

Warner Bros.’ New Line Cinema division has been trying to reboot the Mortal Kombat movie franchise for some time. At one point, Mortal Kombat: Legacy director Kevin Tancharoen was attached to the project but dropped out in 2013. In 2015, New Line brought in director James Wan (Saw, Insidious) to produce the reboot, with writers Dave Callaham (Doom, The Expendables) and Oren Uziel (Mortal Kombat: Legacy, 22 Jump Street) attached to write.

Then in 2016 James Wan brought on popular commercial Director Simon Mcquoid to helm the reboot. The Australian filmmaker was one of the most in-demand commercials directors in the business, working on high-profile campaigns for PlayStation, Halo, Range Rover, Beats by Dre, and other top brands.

Although the Mortal Kombat reboot is in final stages before being fully green-lit, it apparently has it’s eyes on an actor that can help bring Outworld back to the big screen.

That Hashtag Show has learned Joel Edgerton is the top choice to play the role of Kano.

Australian Actor-director-writer-producer Joel Edgerton, 44, has been slowly burning up big and small screens since 1995 in a range of diverse
projects (Star Wars Episode II and III, Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby, Animal Kingdom, Black Mass, Midnight Special) building to leading man status in recent projects Loving , It Comes at Night, and Red Sparrow.

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Often the hero in his native Australia, Edgerton has had a run of villainous roles in Hollywood. And this particular role should be no physical feat for Edgerton, who earned a black belt in Shotokan karate in his teens. He also spent eight hours a day in the gym, learning boxing, weightlifting and ju-jitsu in order to prepare for his role in Warrior alongside Tom Hardy. Another nice incentive for Edgerton in playing Kano is getting to use his native Australian accent, considering we’ve mostly seen him using an American one for his parts.

The reboot will center around a washed-up boxer (Cole Turner) that is recruited to help protect Earth (and his daughter). He must join forces with a team of fighters that are locked in an eternal battle with killers from another dimension.

That Hashtag Show has also obtained an updated character list for the movie:

COLE TURNER – A washed up boxer that still puts up a good fight. He loves his daughter Emily and will do anything to protect her. He is recruited to fight in Mortal Kombat and turns out to have a mysterious upbringing.

EMILY – Cole’s 12-year-old daughter who is already a skilled boxing trainer. She proves to be tougher than she looks.

KANO – The large, rugged Australian ex-special forces turned merc-for-hire wanted by Interpol for arms dealing and drug running. He’s killed a lot of people yet still has a goofy attitude.

LORD RAIDEN – The Thunder God leader of the humankind’s contestants in Mortal Kombat. He oversees their training for the tournament.

SONYA BLADE – The tough blonde dressed in military gear and ready to become a stronger champion.

JACKSON “JAX” BRIDGES – With “Arms like cannons” he recruits Cole to the Mortal Kombat tournament.

LIU KANG – A Shaolin warrior from the White Lotus society that has the ability to throw fireballs.

KUNG LAO – A stoic warrior monk who throws his hat like a deadly frisbee.

SUB-ZER0 – The ice ninja with deadly eyes hidden behind a gruesome mask.

MILEENA – The female Outworld assassin dressed in leather armor and wielding deadly sais.

SHANG TSUNG – The ageless Outworld general that oversees the tournament and it’s fighters.

Even though some classic MK characters like Scorpion and Kabal do not on this list, there is a very good chance you will see them pop up.

With Mortal Kombat 11 releasing in April, the hype for the MK franchise is starting to heat up again. Sales are expected to top that of the last game and studio executives will be looking to capitalize on that success as well.

There are still many questions left to be answered on this planned reboot. Will we see Goro? Shao Kahn? Will future MK video games have Cole Turner as a playable character? So many questions. Just keep checking That Hashtag Show for all the latest updates!