New details continue to emerge as the 2021 Mortal Kombat feature film begins production on location in South Australia. A press release for Day 1 filming has also revealed the identity of the actor playing Kung Lao!

Chinese actor and stunt performer Max Huang is credited in the press release with the role of Kung Lao. A member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team; the soon-to-be 32 year old has performed stunts in various major international releases, including: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Police Story: Lockdown, Dragon Blade, and The Foreigner. He can be seen wearing traditional martial arts dress in photos below:

Kung Lao was a notable omission from previous theatrical adaptations of the Mortal Kombat story. Mark Dacascos appeared as the hat-wearing Shaolin monk in the second season of live-action webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In 1998, Paolo Montalban starred as the ancient Mortal Kombat champon "Great" Kung Lao on the broadcast television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest.

The press release does not specify if the ancestral Kung Lao is relevant to the film. It does, however, confirm Jessica McNamara as Sonya, with Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Tadabobu Asano as Raiden, and Lewis Tan in a still unspecified role.

Other production staff mentioned in the press release include: Director of Photography Germain McMicking (True Detective), Production Designer Naaman Marshall, Editor Scott Gray, and Costumer Designer Cappi Ireland. First time feature director Simon McQuoid is steering the ship, with James Wan and Todd Garner producing. Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear and Jeremy Stein serve as executive producers.

What do you think of Max Huang as Kung Lao? Share your reactions and speculation in the comments below! Then dive into the Media & Merchandise forum for more news and discussion! Special thanks to MK Online kommunity user gorostilllives for posting about this story.

The 2021 Mortal Kombat feature film has begun shooting in South Australia, and local news coverage of Day 1 has revealed more details about the various locations the southern state will double for.

9 News Adelaide reports approximately 700 extras took part in location filming in Port Adelaide, which will reportedly double for the streets of Chicago. State Premier Steven Marshall was there for the milestone, noting the days' work will roughly translate to around thirty-seconds of production. The movie is the largest shoot of its kind in South Australia.

Executive Producer Bennett Walsh discussed the versatile locations South Australia is able to offer to the film, noting the demands of the project: "I am surprised that we've been able to find every location here, because it is an action-fantasy film."

Other shooting locations will include the desert town of Coober Pedy, where movies such as Mad Max: Beyond Thunder Dome and Pitch Black have been filmed. Mount Crawford Forest in the Adelaide Hills will also double for "14th century Japan", according to Walsh.

It's unclear if the reference is intended to be literal, or indicative of Mortal Kombat's unique style. Despite the ancient martial arts tournament at the centre of Mortal Kombat's mythology; feudal Japan has never been of featured significance in the long running series.

One notable example of feudal Japan in Mortal Kombat comes from episodes seven and eight of the controversial live-action webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In that retelling of Scorpion's origin, the secret world of the Shirai Ryu ninja clan was transposed to a time still under Shogun rule, no later than 19th century.

Writer Greg Russo has shared more photos from the shoot. Mortal Kombat is the first feature film by award-winning commercial director Simon McQuoid, with James Wan among producers. Japanese actors Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano are among the international cast.

What do you hope to see from Mortal Kombat's varied locations? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join the speculation on the Media & Merchandise forum! Special thanks to MK Online user rojothunder192 for sharing a link to this story!

Production for the Mortal Kombat movie reboot has officially begun in South Australia! Monday local time marked the first day of principal photography on Simon McQuoid's directorial debut and writer Greg Russo has let fans share the monumentous occasion with behind the scenes photos.

A photograph of the first clapboard on set, emblazoned with the Mortal Kombat branding and dragon logo, captures an exciting milestone for the movie, which won't reach theatres until 2021. It's one of several photos Greg Russo has shared to social media in the last week.

Also pictured with the writer are stars Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), and Lewis Tan, whose role in the film is yet to be confirmed.

Tan has been sharing his own photos, including a snapshot of himself sitting cross legged on training mats while wearing a harness. He compared the experience to childhood visits to sets where his father Philip Tan worked as a stunt co-ordinator. It doesn't offer many clues about his character, but he has also shared a clip showing some fancy sword work.

The path to Mortal Kombat's theatrical return has been long. Are you excited to see it becoming a reality? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join all the news and discussion in the Media & Merchandise forum!

A one week turnaround took the Mortal Kombat 11 Pro Kompetition from across the pond -- back to North America for DreamHack Montreal! The travel seemed to shake things up as another fresh name was etched in the list of 2019 tournament winners!

Watch: Top 16 | Top 8 | Grand Final

Ninjakilla_212 had to face down the demon who beat him twice at CEO 2019 earlier this year. That was the only other offline title won by Evo World Champion SonicFox, but history wasn't weighing on Ninjakilla! He used Krushing Blows to devastating effect, keeping cool under hit-or-miss pressure against D'Vorah, and dominating Jax!

It's the second tournament in a row to see SonicFox unstuck in the final by a skilled Liu Kang player, but it hasn't been all one way! The prior week's Celtic Throwdown winner Rewind found himself bundled out of the second chance Loser's Bracket early by SonicFox in a 2-1 grudge match.

Ninjakilla_212's title win bolsters his place in the Top 16 League Ranks, but he remains 60pts behind Rewind, who did enough at equal ninth to remain in the Top 8. Strong finishes for Deoxys, Kevoxreborn, Dragon, and Hayatei keep familiar names in the upper ranks. Check out the final points scorers below and the latest league rank update!

A podium finish for Deoxys thrust him into the top half, trailing Hayatei who narrowly secured his fifth place. Kevoxreborn's second Top 8 finish for the year reinserted him back into the hunt. DJT notably did enough to keep his guardianship of the 16th rung, keeping Grr and VideoGamezYo at bay with only two more North American Premier Events left in 2019!

The third online tournament of the year will open competition up to Europe next week, September 14th. Then the Pro Kompetition goes to Sao Paulo for a recently added Premier stop at the Brasil Game Show on October 12th-13th! Follow Pro Kompetition progress on MK Online and share your reactions below in the comments and Toasty thumbs up! Find more discussion on the Gameplay & Matchmaking and Mortal Kombat 11 forum!

Kombat returned to Europe as the MK11 Pro Kompetition took the tour to Ireland for the first follow-up to Evo! Celtic Throwdown brought many of the league's best across the pond, putting increased pressure on the local talent as points were scooped by the US special forces!

Watch: Top 8 | Grand Final

Playing away didn't diminish the efforts of three of America's best as they swept the podium positions across the August/September weekend. Curtis "Rewind" McCall stepped up in a big way to show his Liu Kang is a force to be reckoned with, recovering from a loss to Evo World Champion Sonic Fox, in order to claim his first MK11 title!

SonicFox played with D'Vorah at this tournament, frustrating rival Dragon on the way to the final battle. Dragon had a lot to contend with this tournament, including Europe's best finishing fighter VideoGamezYo, who was dropped into the second chance bracket by Dragon in the pools stage, but fought his way back for a an unsuccessful rematch in the "loser's" Semi Final! Dragon was also responsible for keeping Bahrain's excitement machine Tekken Master from performing better.

VideoGamezYo's run ended with a disappointing 3-0 grudge bout, but his determination along the way claimed fellow Brit, A F0xy Grampa, and Viennality winner Hayatei! He was rewarded with enough points to break into the Top 16 League Ranks! Scroll through the final 25 points getters to see where the league rankings stand after the September 1st update!

The North American West online event also took place August 17th, distributing reduced points to Rewind. 2nd Phoenix, 3rd DJT, 4th Han Rashid, and more. The one-two punch of online and offline crowns put Rewind deep into the chase just 10pts behind the sixth rank! VideoGamezYo's upstart performance scored him 200pts for coming fourth in Dublin, putting him into the overall Top 16 just ahead of DJT!

Dreamhack Montreal brings the battle back to North America on September 6th-8th, but as the title tips it'll be a frosty face-off in Canada! Track more updates by following the Pro Kompetition on MK Online and share your reactions in the comments below. Find more in the Gameplay & Matchmaking and Mortal Kombat 11 forum!