Sub-Zero isn’t just going to be a part of the new Mortal Kombat movie, he is going to be the main villain. This, according to Simon McQuoid, who directed the upcoming video game adaptation. Played by actor Joe Taslim, the character will be the primary antagonist that the heroes of Earth will need to contend with, and we got our first glimpse at Sub-Zero in action when the Mortal Kombat trailer was released to much fanfare yesterday.
Simon McQuoid broke down the Mortal Kombat trailer following its release online. During the interview, McQuoid described Sub-Zero as the “key villain” of the movie. As seen in the trailer, he is the one responsible for taking Jax’s arms. As McQuoid explains, the scene in question will show audiences what the villain is capable of.
This is really the first time [Jax has] encountered Sub-Zero. So he’s starting to learn stuff about what this character and this creature can do… [Sub-Zero] has no problem freezing the gun, he’s in total control. This was a whole setup to educate what Sub-Zero is doing here and show he, literally in the face of danger, has no problem.”
The Mortal Kombat trailer also revealed that the movie will revolve around a conflict between Scorpion and Sub-Zero. As for the video game inspiration, this version of Sub-Zero was modeled after Bi-Han, who was the original brother who held the mantle in the franchise. Simon McQuoid, additionally, had a great deal of praise for actor Joe Taslim.
“Joe Taslim did an amazing job [as Sub-Zero.] He represented Indonesia for judo, so the guy is an athlete and he shows it, and the presence he brought to that character was just extraordinary. And [Scorpion actor] Hiroyuki Sanada is a very, very gifted swordsman and athlete in his own ways. Physicality between these two guys was quite extraordinary to watch. Just years and years of experience and ability to do these moves was kind of all baked into them. … That level of brutality and physicality is what I wanted to bring to the film, and those guys certainly delivered.”
The cast is, in a word, stacked. Lewis Tan leads the way as a new character, an MMA fighter named Cole Young. The ensemble also includes Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Mehcad Brooks Jax Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung. Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young round out the cast. James Wan (Aquaman, The Conjuring) is on board as a producer as well.
Up-and-comer Greg Russo co-wrote the screenplay with Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984), working from a story cooked up by Oren Uziel (The Cloverfield Paradox). Mortal Kombat will be released both in theaters and on HBO Max in the U.S. on the same day, as is the case with Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 movie slate. And yes, it is going to be R-rated, as was made quite clear in the trailer. The movie is slated to arrive on April 16. This news comes to us via IGN.