Somewhere in the wilds of Australia the new Mortal Kombat movie is now deep into production. The live-action reboot will boast a roster of anticipated classic kombatants, but the latest casting confirmation has revealed someone fairly unexpected: NItara! Read on for details:

A behind-the-scenes Instagram video posted by Liu Kang actor Ludi Lin tipped fans off to the surprising inclusion. The clip features a tour of the actor's trailers, each labelled with their respective character's name, including a quarters shared by Nitara and Mileena.

Responding to fans via Twitter, writer Greg Russo clarified that stunt performer Elissa Cadwell (Aquaman) will play Nitara. Australian actress Sisi Stringer was announced in the role of Mileena back in August.

Nothing gets by you guys. She'll be played by Elissa Cadwell. @ediestar84 #sharpenyourfangs https://t.co/V5y7L1LI1G

— Greg Russo (@WriterRusso) November 11, 2019

Rumors of Nitara's inclusion in the film first surfaced with an alleged script leak last year. The report was quickly condemned by producer James Wan and Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon. Its source was revealed to be part of an early script draft, by writer Greg Russo.

Nitara was first introduced to the series with 2002's landmark Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. She was a winged vampire seeking to liberate her realm, later dubbed Vaeternus, from its merged status with Outworld. Her mission led to the manipulation of Cyrax and Reptile.

The inclusion will come as a surprise to most fans, who anticipate a retelling of the early tournament mythology of the series. Nitara had little to do with that period of the saga, which may suggest a minor appearance in the 2021 film. Other anachronistic characters previously reported to appear include Reiko and Drahmin.

Nitara's first bio screen from 2002 debut Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Mortal Kombat began filming in September with director Simon McQuoid for a theatrical release March 5th, 2021. Check out the new movie dragon logo and follow all the news and discussion in the Media & Merchandise forum!

For more than a quarter of a century Mortal Kombat has been part of the pop culture landscape, and if you were watching the long running animated series Family Guy this week, you would've heard a familiar deepcut among its cavalcade of references!

Watch: S18E06 Blood Code Joke | S17E10 Fatality Joke

"Peter & Lois' Wedding" is the sixth episode of Season 18 and recounts the romantic meeting of the series' lead characters. Set in the nineties, Peter Griffin enters the scene [above] in desperate need of vital information: namely the Blood Code for the first Mortal Kombat on Sega Genesis.

Like most klassic kombat fans, Lois effortlessly rattles off ABACABB: the button combination that had to be entered at a precise screen during the game's startup. If done correctly, the Sega port would then feature the blood spatters Mortal Kombat was famous for -- a key difference that earned it favour over its Nintendo equivalent!

This isn't the first time Mortal Kombat has been referenced by Family Guy. Series 17, Episode 10 featured a violent confrontation at the dinner table that quickly escalated into a fight complete with health bars and fatality! Watch the embedded clip in the player above.

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Mortal Kombat has long exhibited a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor in its games, and it can occasionally be found at the intersection of pop culture and comedy. Jimmy Fallon went deep when he referenced Onaga on The Tonight Show in 2014, while Conan O'Brien has been more hands-on, playing Mortal Kombat X and creating his own Injustice character!

What are your favourite Mortal Kombat comedy moments? Run to the comments below to share the biggest laughs, or teleport to the 2D Kombat Klassics to discuss other retro codes and klassic characters!

For decades the rivalry between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter has spurred fans to debate the supremacy of their preferred franchise. A bona fide crossover has been a pipe dream for almost as long, but according to a new interview with Street Fighter V developer Yoshinori Ono, a formal proposal was rejected as recently as Mortal Kombat 11! Full story:

Ed Boon shared a happy snap with his Japanese counterpart at this year's Brasil Game Show [above], where the pair discussed the rejected proposal for a Street Fighter guest character in the latest installment of Mortal Kombat.

Ono recounted the situation in an interview with Eurogamer, explaining that the final verdict wasn't his decision: "There were many people at the company that felt that it wasn't a good fit for our characters.".

Although Street Fighter has crossed over with many franchises, including American comic book publisher Marvel and rival developer SNK, it has rarely dabbled in the kind of extreme violence typified by Mortal Kombat. To date, most of Mortal Kombat's guest fighters have come from R rated movie franchises, with a notable exception made with toned down finishing moves for 2008's Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe.

Ed Boon did say he wanted to get a Street Fighter character in Mortal Kombat but wasn't allowed. Was it you who denied it?
It's true that a proposal for a Street Fighter character in Mortal Kombat was rejected by Capcom. But it wasn't me personally! There were many people at the company that felt that it wasn't a good fit for our characters. I actually met Ed at the Brazil game show and spoke to him personally about it. So it's true - but I didn't make the decision!

Is it just the fact the two worlds don't mix?
That was the major concern of our licensing.

Mortal Kombat has lots of guest characters from various different universes. Is that something you might consider for Street Fighter?
We don't necessarily rule anything out. We've had our share of crossovers over the years - Marvel vs. Capcom, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. From Ed Boon's side they had Injustice that had various universes colliding. It didn't work out this time, but Capcom is interested in doing that kind of thing. If we can get something we feel good about, we could move quite quickly to make that happen.

In 2010, former NetherRealm Studios developer Hector Sanchez called the eventual crossover between franchises "inevitable". Indeed, both series can still be readily found side by side in various action figure and merchandising lines.

The aesthetic and philosophical differences between the two series is ultimately what makes a crossover difficult, but so intriguing. The chance to see Mortal Kombat's icons reinterpreted with the visual flair of Street Fighter is an interesting one, but negotiating creative ownership and development of such a title may mean waiting for the stars to align. Capcom's Street Fighter X Tekken showed the dangers of an overcrowded market, leading Namco's counterpart title to be abandoned.

Capcom has resisted the temptation of crossover characters in its extensive mult-season run of 22 Street Fighter V downloadable characters, but iconic anti-villain Gouki appeared as a narratively integrated guest in Namco's recent breakout success Tekken 7. Ono himself notes that Capcom is open to these kinds of deals, and under the right circumstances, "we could move quite quickly to make that happen." A post-release exchange of DLC may be the most fitting way for a crossover to occur in future sequels.

With Ed Boon recently describing Mortal Kombat 11 as "the end of the story" -- could the future hold some kind of all-out crossover for MK? Would you like to see MK finally challenge the icons of Street Fighter? Take the fight to the comments below and tell us what you think!

Edenia's revenant ruler Sindel is set to make a playable comeback at the end of this month. Ahead of her official unveiling: Ed Boon has released two new screenshots of the DLC scream queen in Mortal Kombat 11! Take a look:

Sindel was last in the hands of players in Mortal Kombat (2011), but also made a non-playable appearance as a revenant in 2015's Mortal Kombat X. She will appear next as the fourth downloadable character in the Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack, following on the heels of last month's guest release: The T-800.

Boon teased a first look at Sindel way back in July ahead of her appearance in the Kombat Pack trailer. References to the popular MK3 addition have even made their way onto locations for the Mortal Kombat movie!

Are you hyped for the November 28th return of Sindel? Float into the comments below and make some noise for the next returning MK fighter! Keep your eyes on the Mortal Kombat 11 forum for an official trailer and more discussion!

Every action you take in Mortal Kombat 11 helps define you and your favourite customizable fighters. It also feeds into a massive database of gameplay information and statistics curated by NetherRealm Studios! They recently shared some of these numbers in a toasty infographic. Check it out:

Scorpion reigns supreme as the most used fighter in online and ranked matches, accumulating the most victories in the process. With that frequency also comes fatalities -- making the mascot ninja the most killed fighter, too!

Liu Kang has a competitive edge as the third most used character in ranked matches. Noob Saibot has the honor overall, featuring more heavily in casual and unranked kombat!

Mortal Kombat 11 has been one of the most successful entries in the long running series and that's reflected in a staggering 205, 262, 299 hours of play since the game's release in April!

The game recently added to its playable roster with crossover guest The Terminator, and will expand again at the end of this month when Sindel returns as part of the The Kombat Pack. Follow and discuss your own observations on the Mortal Kombat 11 forum!