The South Australian Film Corporation revealed a casting decision earlier this week that may have some fans of Mortal Kombat scratching their heads. Joining the cast of the upcoming Mortal Kombat film will be 12 year-old Matilda Kimber.
For those not in the know, a new Mortal Kombat film is in the works. Slated for release in the year 2021, the story is set to follow the story of the first Mortal Kombat game, centered around the last tournament to save Earth from the forces of Outworld.
This casting decision might surprise anyone who is hearing about the film for the first time. With the possible exception of Ferra & Torr, who have not made an appearance in Mortal Kombat 11's DLC, none of the fighters in the current iteration of MK are even close to Kimber's age, so who could she play? The most likely answer lies in the casting of Lewis Tan to play Cole Turner, a washed up boxer and new addition to the MK universe. There's a good chance that Kimber is playing Turner's daughter, Emily.
At the time of writing this article, the name of Lewis Tan's role, like so much about the film, is still unconfirmed, and Kimber's role is not listed. Kimber is one of several new talents to make their debut with Mortal Kombat 2021, including the director, Simon McQuoid, previously known for directing commercials. These talents are gathered under producer James Wan, known for producing and directing both intense horror films and grand action movies.
Wan's presence as a producer may very well give hope to MK fans that the film will be done justice. Wan is an expert at creating tense moments with awesome, scary monsters like MK's Reptile, and as proved with films like Aquaman and Furious 7, is also skilled with grand, beautiful action set pieces. It's no exaggeration to say MK combines his two strengths. Several of his horror credentials, including Insidious and The Conjuring are most engaging when the children in them are in danger, so Kimber's presence could easily turn the tension way up in the film.
On the other hand, a 12 year old is not always the best addition to a martial arts and monsters experience, as those who have seen Power Rangers: Turbo can attest. In a series like Mortal Kombat, where stylish dismemberment is the order of the day, a child character may just distract from what people are there to see.
Source: Comicbook.com