Ludi Lin May Be Flawless Lui Kang

It is always fun when you catch actors in their your and get to watch them grow. While the Power Rangers movie of 2017 did not break any box office records, its cast is really starting to find legs of their own. Naomi Scott starred in Aladdin and the upcoming Charlie’s Angels. Dacre Montgomery played a wonderful character in Stranger Things for two seasons as Billy Hargrove. RJ Cyler may not have the power roles, but he has knocked what he has done out of the park. Becky G seems to be going the voice over route, which then leaves Lud Lin, but his luck may be about to change. Variety is reporting Lin may land the lead role of Lui Kang in the Mortal Kombat reboot.

Ludi Lin Born For This Role

Ludi Lin seems to be warming up for this role with his resume. Lin fame started with the role of Zach the black power ranger in Power Rangers. After playing Captain Murk in the blockbuster Aquaman, he starred in a single episode of Black Mirror as Kung Fu ace Lance. Lin proved his martial arts capability and his screen presence more than enough to tackle this role.

Back in the original Mortal Kombat movie in 1995 Robin Shou played the part of Lui Kang. While the overall acting of the original was sub par, it gained the prestige of being so bad it became instant cult classic. Robin did a serviceable job leading the cast, but in 1995 Mortal Kombat revolved around fighting, not acting skills. Ludi Lin would be a kick in the right direction.

If one takes the role of Zach and the role of Lui Kang as played by Robin Shou, the roles are not too dissimilar. Both are smart mouthed kids with chips on their shoulders from hard lives with something to prove. Lin did a great job bringing life to the role of Zach and giving him a great personality that the audience could get behind. This role should come easily for the Chinese actor. He also stands out as one of the few actors being able to straddle the line between Chinese film and Hollywood.

What Will This Movie Cover?

Mortal Kombat remains an enigma so far. Eleven games and two movies leave a lot of ground to cover. The release date says March 5, 2021, but nothing has leaked about plot or character involvement. According to IMDB, the only characters listed so far looks like: Lui Kang, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Jax and Mileena. While the possibilities remain endless, it would feel odd to not include Sonya, Kitana or Shang Sung. About a month ago, some details leaked that can be found here.

While the acting lacked in many ways, the 1005 version of the game did set a high bar for any future movie, a bar its sequel missed badly. Many claim Mortal Kombat remains one of the best video game movies ever made. Its cheesiness and off center acting played into its charm and cult status. Let us hope this movie can do the same.