With director Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat arriving in theaters and streaming on HBO Max this weekend, I recently spoke with Ludi Lin (Liu Kang) and Max Huang (Kung Lao) about making the R-rated video game adaptation. During the interview, they talked about their characters' "Friendship" (even though they aren’t in the movie), who they think has the most brutal fatality in the game, who is the strongest character in the game and in the movie, and more. In addition, Lin reveals how he got Liu Kang’s iconic headband in the movie, while Huang talks about how Kung Lao's costume affected his fight choreography.
The new Mortal Kombat movie is about an MMA fighter named Cole Young (Lewis Tan) who discovers he has a personal connection to an otherworldly group of fighters, who band together to defeat supernatural villain Shang Tsung. If you’ve seen the red-band trailer, you know the movie is loaded with the characters from the video game and doesn’t shy away from the blood and gore. The film also stars Joe Taslim as Bi-Han a.k.a. Sub-Zero, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi a.k.a. Scorpion, Mehcad Brooks as Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Mel Jarnson as Nitara, and Daniel Nelson as Kabal.
Check out what Ludi Lin and Max Huang had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the official synopsis.
Ludi Lin and Max Huang:
- Who do they think is the strongest character in the game and who is the strongest in the movie?
- Did they come up with their characters Friendship even though it isn’t in the movie?
- Who do they think has the most brutal fatality in the game?
- What would people be surprised to learn about the making of the Mortal Kombat movie?
- How Lin came up with where to use Liu Kang’s headband in the movie.
- Max Huang talks about how performing Kung Lao’s action was challenging wearing his hat.
Here’s the official synopsis for Mortal Kombat:
From New Line Cinema comes the explosive new cinematic adventure 'Mortal Kombat,' inspired by the blockbuster video game franchise, which most recently enjoyed the most successful video game launch in its history, 'Mortal Kombat 11.' In 'MortalKombat,' MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family's safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
