A new Mortal Kombat feature film is currently in post-production, with a tentative release date for 2021, but long before cameras started rolling in Australia, there was another vision for an MK movie being overseen by director Kevin Tancharoen. His radically different take on Sub-Zero has revealed a glimpse into what might have been. Take a look:

Concept Artist Jerad Marantz released two images of his drastically reenvisioned Sub-Zero via Instagram. Like all of the designs overseen by Kevin Tancharoen, it differs significantly from established Mortal Kombat canon, revising Sub-Zero's status as a cryomancer with macabre consequence, remaking him as a cyborg ravaged by cold and frostbite.

Unsurprisingly, Marantz credits viral YouTube sensation Mortal Kombat: Rebirth with key inspiration for his designs. The 7 minute 40 second short re-introduced Jax & Sonya as police officers in a world populated with a medical metal fetishist Baraka, cannibal Reptile, and criminal inmate Scorpion.

The widely seen demo led to Kevin Tancharoen's hiring as director of Mortal Kombat: Legacy - an official live-action webseries that ran for two seasons. He teased work on a movie script featuring Jax and Kabal, while battling controversial rumors concerning plot. Mileena concept art was also released after Tancharoen announced his exit from the Mortal Kombat movie in 2013.

Marantz discussed his fondness for Tancharoen's work, and the frostbitten Sub-Zero design, which would've evolved into a version of the character's "signature" look. Even that still evokes a very different style to the iconic Lin Kuei warrior fans of the games have come to expect.

Of all the subzero concept art I did for this pitch this was one of my favorites. It shows the damage that his abilities have had on his body. I was playing around with the idea of frostbite and him having tech that function as a life support system. Clearly, he’s still a threat, but I love the idea that his powers we’re having a devastating effect on his body. Eventually the character would have his signature subzero look. I remember being heavily inspired by the director, Kevin Tancharoen’s Mortal Kombat rebirth short film. He took the designs of a couple of the characters in different and exciting directions

James Wan was announced as producer and overseer of a new Mortal Kombat feature in 2015, with Simon McQuoid joining as director the following year. Joe Taslim has been cast as Sub-Zero, but designs from the movie are yet to be seen.

What do you think of the Mortal Kombat movie we'll never see? Was this a worthwhile direction to take Sub-Zero? Share your thoughts in the comments below and follow more movie news in the Media & Merchandise forum!