British actor Lewis Tan will play Cole Young in the upcoming R-rated Mortal Kombat, an entirely new character created for the movie. The long-awaited film will be released on April 16, debuting in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day as part of Warner Bros.' 2021 release plan. The movie, the third major release based on the popular series of fighting games following Paul W. Anderson's 1995 effort and the terrible 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
The ensemble cast includes Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Tadanobu Asano (Raiden), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Mehcad Brooks (Jackson "Jax" Briggs), Josh Lawson (Kano) and Chin Han (Shang Tsung), all playing classic Mortal Kombat character recognizable to even the most casual of fans. But until now, it was unknown who Tan would play. The actor, martial artist, model, and former stuntman was thought to be playing an existing character from the games series, given the rest of the cast was filled with familiar names. But today's first look at Mortal Kombat reveals that isn't the case.
As part of EW's first look at the movie, Tan revealed he's playing the entirely new character of Cole Young, a former MMA champion who is down on his luck. Cole is the central character in the movie, as the plot follows his attempts to find out more about his past with only a birthmark to guide him. That birthmark is in the shape of the Mortal Kombat symbol, and he meets a number of the familiar Mortal Kombat characters on his journey. He eventually finds sanctuary in Raiden's temple, where a group of fighters prepares for combat against invaders from The Outerworld. You can read Tan's description of his character below:
When we first meet Cole, he's in a really bad spot. He's down on his luck. He's kind of a washed-up MMA fighter who used to be a champion, who used to believe in himself, who used to have a lot of hope in his career. And it's all gone down the drain. It's a very interesting place for a hero to start, and I think that, along the journey of Mortal Kombat and Cole discovering where he comes from, you're introduced to all these other iconic characters and elements that everybody loves so dearly.
The plot, and Tan's description of Cole, make it clear he's going to be carrying the weight of the core narrative arc on his broad shoulders. Hardcore Mortal Kombat fans might bristle that a new character is at the center of the plot instead of a fan favorite like Liu Kang or even Johnny Cage, but it's a smart move. It allows the movie to introduce casual fans to the Mortal Kombat universe through a character who has no knowledge of the characters himself and allows the film to play with the game's mythology uniquely.
For Tan, who appeared in Iron Fist, Into the Badlands, and Deadpool 2, it will be a step up to leading man status. And, given the low quality of the previous two movies, Mortal Kombat won't have to do much to be the best movie based on the game. And with confirmation that there will be gory fatalities and brutal fights, things are looking good.
Source: EW
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