Mortal Kombat 2021

Movie · 110 min · English · April 8, 2021

Directed by Simon McQuoidWritten by Greg Russo, David Callaham

Starring Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks

Mortal Kombat is a 2021 American martial arts dark fantasy film derived from the video-game series developed by Ed Boon and John Tobias. It functions as a reboot and marks the third entry in the Mortal Kombat film franchise. The movie was directed by Simon McQuoid and features a screenplay co-written by Greg Russo and David Callaham. Its cast includes Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Max Huang, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. The story centers on Cole Young, a former mixed martial arts competitor who learns he is selected among several fighters to battle evil entities from Outworld in the titular Mortal Kombat competition.

After the poor reception of Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997), the prospect of a third film remained stalled for nearly twenty years. In late 2010, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema started working on a new adaptation, with Kevin Tancharoen initially attached as director and Oren Uziel writing the script following their short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010). James Wan was later confirmed as producer in August 2015, while McQuoid was hired as director in November 2016. Principal photography took place at Adelaide Studios in Adelaide and other South Australian locations from September through December 2019.

The film premiered internationally on April 8, 2021 and in the United States on April 23, showing simultaneously in theaters with Dolby Cinema, IMAX, and 4DX formats, as well as on HBO Max. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, appreciating the acting, visuals, action scenes, and loyalty to the original material, although criticizing its script and exposition. The film earned over $84 million despite a $55 million budget and became HBO Max’s most successful film launch ever.

A follow-up titled Mortal Kombat II debuted on May 8, 2026, again directed by McQuoid with a screenplay by Jeremy Slater.