Mortal Kombat actors Ludi Lin, Max Huang, and Mehcad Brooks joined moderator Ryan Segur for a discussion of the Mortal Kombat reboot and upcoming second movie at the panel “Next Round: Inside Mortal Kombat II and the Future of the Franchise” at 5:30PM on Saturday in the Hilton Salon. The panel began with Lin praising a costume he’d seen. Its fiery wings looked to him as if they’d just “been plucked from a Phoenix.” Brooks loved seeing all the Mortal Kombat cosplay. He also had an announcement for attendees: The second movie’s release has been changed from this fall to next May. The reason? The testing has been going so well that they want to spend more time and effort on the movie. Everything they got wrong in the first movie, Brooks said, they get right in the second. “I’ll be worth the wait,” he promised.
When asked about how they had gotten into character, Brooks said he’d spent time in the desert at Burning Man and had come back “knowing who Jax was.” Lin was inspired by a desert, too, but in a sacred area of Australia’s Outback—a six-hour flight from civilization. They started filming the first scene at sunrise. Flies were everywhere, searching for any source of water—including the corners of Lin’s eyes. Lin was “so in the zone, [he] didn’t even blink.”
Huang described how crazy the journey was for him. He’d first auditioned for Liu Kang but didn’t get the part. Later, he found out he’d been offered the part of Kung Lao. He was so afraid it wasn’t true, that he waited until he’d signed the contract to tell his parents the news. Brooks remembered the first time he saw Huang do a jump/land/spin sequence. “Wow,” Brooks said, “fantastic wire work.” Then he was told there weren’t any wires. “Everything you see him do, he’s actually doing.”
What’s it like watching the finished product of your acting efforts? Lin thinks the “best time is when we get to watch it with everybody.” He was “blown away by everyone’s performance.” Brooks took an introspective view. “I think…one of the most terrible things about being an artist,” he said, “is that [you’re] never satisfied with what you do.” He admitted to feeling an “insatiable hunger and desire to be perfect.” Huang agreed and said he’s very hard on himself, too. He always aims for perfection. He is, however, “very proud of the second [film].”
All three of the actors worked hard for their roles in the upcoming movie. Lin put on an extra 30 pounds of muscle. Brooks put on 20 pounds. He remembers being surprised when he saw Lin. “Ludi?” he asked. “You look like you ate Ludi!” “When you see the second movie,” Lin said, “You’ll remember the fun of playing the game.” The three actors couldn’t reveal too much, but Lin did say that all the characters get deserved arcs. “I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” he added. Huang admitted to being sad when Jax died in the first movie, but just like in the game, Jax will be back! “Flawless victory,” he said with a smile. Teasers given for the sequel include fireball throwing, new moves, and the promise that it will be the movie fans expect from the Mortal Kombat game franchise.
