Greg Russo is a writer currently tackling the next Mortal Kombat big screen reboot, but after a list of characters leaked, he's also been writing his fair share of rumor killing tweets!
The writer already addressed widespread rumors, shooting down their validity based on generations of the rewritten script, and inaccuracies in the original report. In his latest message to fans, Russo targeted two of the worrisome character changes since excised by the creative process.
While I can't talk about any current or specific plot points, I think it's safe to say that Sonya being a "writer" and Raiden appearing as a teen boy were both given one of these quite some time back. Rest easy, MK faithful. pic.twitter.com/wiOcXNi5sE
— Greg Russo (@WriterRusso) July 12, 2018
Raiden's portrayal in live-action has been varied. He was memorably defined by Christophe Lambert, whose sarcastic overseer guided Earthrealm's heroes through the 1995 feature film. This wisecracking thunder god was bound by rules, usually limited to threats of his godlike power. James Remar infamously leapt into kombat with a mid-movie makeover in Annihilation, before Jeffrey Meek explored Lambert-esque layers of comedy and gravitas, in the Mortal Kombat: Conquest television series.
Raiden was said to relinquish his godly powers to participate in mortal fighting from the very first game. The '95 film introduced Raiden to the big screen disguised as a beggar, which may have inspired the now excised concept of assuming the guise of a 14 year old boy.
Kevin Tancharoen infamously cast Ryan Robbins as the thunder god for the sixth episode of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries. The episode began with a disclaimer, warning fans about the "realistic" portrayal of Raiden as a patient in a mental asylum.
Sonya Blade was thrust into the first game's plot as a US Special Forces agent on the hunt for Kano. Bridgette Wilson-Sampras arrived at the '95 movie tournament very much as it was portrayed in the game, and comic book by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias.
Sonya's reported role as a prophecy-seeking writer has similarly been cut, but wouldn't be the first time the character was changed. The Legacy webseries retained the basics of Sonya's well known plot for its opening episode(s), but recast Jeri Ryan, and Michael Jai White (Jax), as metropolitan police officers from a fictional city.
Sonya Blade as she appears in Mortal Kombat X.
Though the character list was clearly rooted in fact, Russo has already shot down other mistakes in detail, such as Liu Kang as a "ninja", and the absence of Sub-Zero and Scorpion. The message remains one of assurance to die hard fans. The inclusion of a Mortal Kombat II fatality a clear gesture.
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