Dwayne Johnson Would Make A Great Shao Khan, Says Mortal Kombat Creator

Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon says Dwayne Johnson would make a great Shao Kahn in response to the star’s reveal he is working on a video game movie. The iconic villain from the Midway and NetherRealm fighting game franchise first appeared as the final boss and main antagonist in Mortal Kombat II, in which he calls for the new tournament in an effort to claim Earthrealm should his warriors win the competition. Shao Kahn is the emperor of the Outworld realm and is known for his frequent desire to conquest all realms with his warriors and his use of black magic and a large hammer.

Shao Kahn has made subsequent appearances in Mortal Kombat III and the 2011 franchise reboot, serving as the final boss in both titles as well as the well-received spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Outside of the video games, the character made his live-action debut in Paul W.S. Anderson’s Mortal Kombat movie adaptation, appearing in the final moments voiced by Frank Welker before subsequently serving as the primary antagonist in the thoroughly panned 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The film franchise would get a second chance at life in 2021 with the James Wan-produced reboot, which proved to be a hit but largely leave Shao Kahn out of the story, though a creative behind the series has an idea for his potential future.

On the heels of the star revealing he is working on a secret video game movie, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon took to Twitter to share his thoughts on Johnson starring in an adaptation of his franchise. Boon stated The Rock would make a “great” Shao Kahn, pairing his thoughts with a thumbs up emoji. Check out Boon’s response below:

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The 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot kept in line with the original game’s story of having the soul-eating sorcerer Shang Tsung serve as the primary antagonist for the film, though did feature multiple references to the Outworld emperor, including a large statue and a mural painting of the character. After going nearly a year with no word of a sequel, Mortal Kombat 2 was officially confirmed in January with Moon Knight creator Jeremy Slater penning the script. Co-writer Greg Russo had previously confirmed he envisioned the Mortal Kombat reboot as a trilogy, with a potential sequel properly exploring including the titular tournament.

The latest Mortal Kombat proved to be a massive hit for Warner Bros., setting the record for the most-streamed movie to hit HBO Max and theaters simultaneously, where it also brought in a modest $83.6 million against its $55 million budget. Johnson’s announcement of working on a secret video game movie project sent the internet into a fervor with theories and jokes of what title he may be bringing to life on screen next, including the long-awaited Gears of War movie, though with his confirmation that the film will be revealed later this year, the timing would fit for a Mortal Kombat sequel casting announcement. In the meantime, audiences can revisit the latest Mortal Kombat movie on HBO Max now.

Source: Ed Boon/Twitter

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Grant Hermanns
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Grant Hermanns is a News Writer, Interviewer and Hiring Manager for Screen Rant, having joined the team in early 2021. Way back in 2015 while still in his college days, Grant got his start in the entertainment journalism industry with creator-friendly site Moviepilot until it shuttered nearly three years later. From there he joined the staff at ComingSoon.net and was its Associate Editor prior to coming over to Screen Rant.

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To say he’s a lover of film and television would be an understatement and when he’s not mass consuming either you can find him exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends or slowly making his way through his gaming backlog.

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