NetherRealm Studios is on the home stretch for upcoming new game Mortal Kombat 1, but Ed Boon has split his duties as Chief Creative Officer to go remote from the Australian set of the upcoming MK movie sequel! The franchise co-creator shared happy snaps with some of the new & returning cast via social media. Take a closer look:
It was smiles all around as Ed Boon mingled for photographs with a cast playing characters he helped create over thirty years ago! The developer is down under, expected to film a cameo for the sequel, which will feature several favourites from the original game, including sequel newcomer Karl Urban, already confirmed to have accepted the role of Johnny Cage.
Johnny Cage actor Karl Urban poses with Ed Boon in front of a red stage door on the Village Roadshow lot.
Death will be no obstacle to returning characters in the film sequel. Boon shared images with Joe Taslim and Josh Lawson [pictured below], who each seemingly met their demise in the first film as villains Sub-Zero and Kano.
The popular antagonists have been widely speculated to make game-inspired transformations into the blackened Netherrealm wraith Noob Saibot, and a metal-plated cyborg, respectively. For the latter, it will be a change that brings Kano closer in line with his iconic game counterpart, whose laser eye came from "arcana" - a conceptual device invented for the 2021 film.
[Above]: Ed Boon poses with Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Lewis Tan (Cole Young), and Chin Han (Shang Tsung).
[Below]: Photos with Josh Lawson (Kano), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), and Chin Han.
Boon also hammed it up for a solo photo with arch-villain Chin Han [above], who portrays Shang Tsung in the films, but showed there's no hard-feelings or proclivity towards evil, posing with a hand on the shoulder of Lewis Tan, who played a completely original hero created for the first film.
Nobody was in costume, but the cast in attendance might suggest any prospective cameo appearance places Boon somewhere in the realm of Earth. He previously appeared as a television producer who worked with Johnny Cage in the third episode of live-action webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Real-life producer Todd Garner shared a photo of Ed's chair on set, which simply acknowledges him as "Legend".
Mr. Boon, your chair is ready: Filmmakers pay homage to the series' 'legendary' co-creator.
Unofficially titled Mortal Kombat II, the film will also feature Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, and Shao Kahn, Sindel, and Quan Chi. Simon McQuoid returns to direct, with James Wan producing with Atomic Monster alongside Broken Road Productions. Filming is underway in Queensland, Australia.
How does Ed Boon fit in to the "weird" universe of the sequel? Does this change your perspective of the film? Share your reactions in the comments below and find & discuss more in the Media & Merchandise forum!
