Fans of the highly anticipated video game movieMortal Kombatare going to have to wait a little longer to watch Sub-Zero rip out someone’s spin on the big screen. New Line Cinema’s live-action adaptation of the notoriously violent video game franchise has been pushed back another week, and the decision likely to comes down to New Lines parent company Warner Bros.
AnewMortal Kombatmoviehas been in the works for decades. The franchise originally saw a 1995 movie adaptation and a sequel two years later. Both films were eviscerated by critics and audiences and were widely considered to be commercial failures. As a result, a third film has been trapped in development hell for the past twenty or so years. Warner Bros. eventually acquired the rights to the franchise and began developing a new movie with one of its production companies, New Line Cinema. In 2010, director Kevin Tancharoen released an eight-minute short film that showcased what he could do with a live-action adaptation.
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After the short film went viral and popularity for the film grew, theMortal Kombatproject was green-lit with Tancharoen attached as director. However, due to various budget constraints and scheduling conflicts, the film was eventually abandoned. In 201,Fast & Furiousfranchise director James Wan signed on as a producer with Simon McQuoid attached to direct and the film was once again back on. Last month, thefirst bloody trailer forMortal Kombatwas released online and was incredibly well-received by fans and critics alike. The trailer has gone on to break records by becoming the most-watched red band trailer in history, beating out bothDeadpoolandLogan.
This isn’t the first time the film has been delayed.Mortal Kombatwas originally going to be released on July 24, 2025, before being moved up to January 15. It was then delayed again due to the COVID-19 pandemic before it was finally scheduled for release on April 16. As with Warner Bros.' other 2021 releases,Mortal Kombatwill debut simultaneously in theatres and HBO Max on the same day. The video game movieis just one of many big studio films that have seen a constantly shifting released date due to the pandemic. Franchise movies likeMarvel Studios’Black Widowand the latest film in theFast & The Furiousfranchise have both been delayed multiple times.
The new movie has now once again been pushed back, but unlike before, it’s actually due to the hype from another Warner Bros film.Godzilla vs. Kongwas recently released in theatres and on HBO Max. The monster film is performing well, bringing in lots of money and receiving generally decent reviews, so Deadline reports that it’s likely that Warner Bros. wants to give that film a little more time to breathe, rather than have the company be in direct completion with itself.
Mortal Kombatwill now be released in theatres and on HBO Max on April 23rd, 2021.
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