The new film adaptation of the popular fighting game series Mortal Kombat will be adding even more characters to its roster. Following the castings of Joe Taslim (The Raid) as cryomancer ninja Sub-Zero, Ludi Lin (Black Mirror) as the Shaolin warrior Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl) as the steel-armed Jax, Tadanobu Asano (Thor: Ragnarok) as the thunder god Raiden, and Sisi Stringer as the deadly Mileena, comes some new players.

According to new reports, Chin Han (The Dark Knight), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine, Avengers: Endgame), Jessica McNamee (The Meg), Josh Lawson (Superstore), and Lewis Tan (Deadpool 2) will all be playing fighters who join the deadly tournament. More on who they will play below.

Variety says Han will play the villainous soul sucking sorcerer Shang Tsung, while Sanada will be playing Scorpion, a ninja with the power to summon hellfire and is well-known for his deadly catchphrase “Get Over Here!” Han was recently seen in last year’s Skyscraper, but is probably best known for his role in The Dark Knight. As for Sanada, he is known for his roles in The Wolverine, Avengers: Endgame, The Last Samurai, and Sunshine.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, McNamee is in the final phase of talks to play Sonya Blade, one of the most notable female fighters in the games. Lawson, an Australian actor, will play Kano, member of the Black Dragon clan and one of the original fighters. It’s not clear who Tan will be playing.

Though plot details are being kept a secret, Mortal Kombat will most likely follow the same story as the game, where a group of fighters from various realms are gathered together to participate in a deadly fighting tournament where the fate of the world is at stake. And this wouldn’t be the first time that the video game of the same name has been adapted for the big screen. The first time came in 1995. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the film was met with relative success at the box office, but the same cannot be said for critics who reviewed it. Still, it was so popular it managed to gain a cult following. And because it was so successful, there was a sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Again, though not nearly as commercially successful as its predecessor, critics annihilated the film for its shallow characters and low-budget effects.

Mortal Kombat will be directed by Simon McQuoid, who uses a script penned by Greg Russo. Aquaman director James Wan will act as the film’s producer, alongside Todd Garner, while Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear, and Sean Robins are executive producing.

Warner Bros. has scheduled to release Mortal Kombat in theaters on March 5, 2021.

[Source: Variety | The Hollywood Reporter]