We Finally Know When We'll Be Able To See The New Mortal Kombat Movie

Video game movies, as a whole, have a very strange track record that ranges from pretty good to downright abysmal. Some adaptations crash and burn, like the maligned 1993 Super Mario Bros. flick, while others, such as Sonic the Hedgehog from 2020, manage to exceed all expectations, monetarily and critically. Sadly, in the case of the highly transformative Mortal Kombat game series, the relationship with the big screen, at least in the live-action department, falls squarely under the former. 1995's Mortal Kombat and 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation severely missed the mark in translating the source material and left die-hard fans severely disappointed.

As a consequence of these dual misfires, it's taken over two decades for the property to pick up enough steam to warrant a cinematic treatment once again. With Saw and Aquaman director James Wan in the producer's chair and Simon McQuoid making his directorial debut, the upcoming Mortal Kombat retry promises to shed the stigmas surrounding the previous attempts and deliver an authentic rendition of the games' universe. Not only will proper fatalities arrive at the cinema, but the film will also feature a non-whitewashed cast this time around, giving fans hope that this is the Mortal Kombat movie they've waited patiently for all these years.

However, thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they'll have to wait just a tad longer to enjoy this long-awaited reboot.

As reported by Collider, Mortal Kombat will make its highly anticipated arrival on April 16, 2021. This is a slight change from its previous release date of January 15, 2021, which was also a minor shift ahead from its initial premiere on March 5, 2021. Hopefully, this is the last time the project will face any kind of delay. After all, almost 30 years is a long time to wait on a proper Mortal Kombat interpretation, and these schedule shifts aren't making it any easier.

This announcement comes in the wake of the controversial choice by Warner Bros. to move its entire 2021 slate into a hybrid release model, mainly as a response to the public health crisis that's ravaging the majority of the planet. What this means is that all of the studio's impending features will come out at the few movie theaters that are currently in operation, while becoming available for streaming via HBO Max at the same time. Therefore, depending on where you live, you have options when it comes to getting your Mortal Kombat fix.

Additionally, Warner Bros. also unveiled a simple yet effective official poster to generate some more hype for this incoming release. The advertisement features the iconic, red-eyed dragon emblem synonymous with the franchise and the title of the film below it in a sleek font. The poster doesn't supply much in the way of the film's content, but given how low the '90s movies set the bar, it's safe to say that 2021's Mortal Kombat will blow audiences away.