Chinese-Canadian actor
Ludi Lin is in negotiations to join the cast of New Line's upcoming
"Mortal Kombat" reboot. The live-action adaptation will be directed by commercial helmer
Simon McQuoid from a script from
Greg Russo, and produced by
James Wan (
"The Conjuring",
"Saw").
Lin is in talks for the role of Liu Kang, one of the seven original characters introduced in the first
"Mortal Kombat" game, which was released in 1992. The movie will follow a male protagonist who becomes drawn into an interdimensional tournament, and who begins to realize his true potential as a result of the experience.
The video game franchise has been previously adapted for the big screen in New Line's 1995 film directed by
Paul W. S. Anderson, which earned $120 million worldwide despite being torn apart by critics. It was followed by a sequel in 1997, which was both a critical and box-office disaster. Other adaptations include two TV shows (one animated and one live-action), as well as two web series from director
Kevin Tancharoen. Warner Bros. has acquired Midway Games assets in 2009 in bankruptcy court.
The reboot is currently in pre-production and will begin shooting in Adelaide later this year, where it is set to be the biggest production in South Australia's state history. The film will open in theaters on March 5, 2021.
Ludi Lin has recently starred in
James Wan's
"Aquaman", and the 2017
"Power Rangers" reboot. He also played a Mortal Kombat-type character in the episode
"Striking Vipers" of
"Black Mirror" Season 5. Other appearances include Netflix's
"Marco Polo" and China's hit blockbuster
"Monster Hunt".
His future projects include the biopic
"Son of the South", which is executive produced by
Spike Lee, and Netflix's Chinese-language original six-part series
"The Ghost Bride".