Looks like Deadpool 2 wasn’t the only film to find itself a new director tonight, as Variety reports that the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot has now settled on someone to sit behind the camera. The man in question is Simon McQuoid, a very well respected commercial director who will be making his feature film debut here. That’s not exactly encouraging, but apparently McQuoid has an impressive resume and is “one of the most in-demand commercial directors in the business.”
As for the film itself, this one’s been in development for quite a while now. With James Wan on board to produce, you’d think it would have moved into production a bit quicker. That hasn’t exactly been the case though, as Wan’s said multiple times that he’s in no rush with it. With McQuoid now on board, however, we’ll probably start to see a bit more movement on the project, as fans are no doubt eager to get another adaptation of the beloved video game franchise.
The first time we saw Mortal Kombat on the big screen, it was thanks to Paul W.S. Anderson’s 1992 version, which may have made a decent chunk of money at the box office ($122 million worldwide), but wasn’t exactly a good movie. A sequel titled Mortal Kombat: Annihilation followed in 1997 but it was even more of a disaster. Of course, there was also the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, which was actually pretty well done, but another feature film has always eluded us, until now.
In recent interviews, Wan’s compared this reboot to Enter the Dragon with a fantasy vibe, which sounds intriguing. It’s no secret that video game adaptations usually turn out to be pretty awful, especially when they’re based on properties with thin narratives, like Mortal Kombat, but we’re hopeful that this take on the iconic franchise can finally do it justice. If they go for the R-rating and deliver big on the blood and violence, which the series is known for, it might just work. If nothing else, just make sure Megan Fox doesn’t get anywhere near it.
Of course, there will also need to be ample plot and character development here so that we actually care about what’s happening on screen. That may be tough to do given the source material, but at least we know that the reboot is being brought to life under the watchful eye of James Wan, who’s one of Hollywood’s brightest talents at the moment.
As of now, the Mortal Kombat film is still without a release date, and with a director having only just signed on, it may be some time yet before we get any further updates. For now, though, you can color us intrigued and we’ll be sure to bring you more on the project once it arises.
