Mortal Kombat reportedly has further installments in the works, and a Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks spin-off would be the perfect follow-up to start with. After struggling to get off the ground for years, the big-screen reboot of Mortal Kombat finally arrived in April 2021. Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mortal Kombat, along with Warner Bros. entire film slate for the year, also had a day-and-date hybrid release on HBO Max.

While Mortal Kombat‘s reception was mixed, new data shows that it performed extremely well on the streaming platform. That and the mainstream popularity of the Mortal Kombat franchise indicate that a follow-up is likely to be officially announced in the near future. While the film sets up the Mortal Kombat tournament and the debut of Johnny Cage in the final scene, Mortal Kombat can go in many different directions, and two of its cast members have their own idea.

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Speaking to Screen Rant, Ludi Lin and Max Huang shared their enthusiasm for a Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks spin-off focused on their characters, Liu Kang and Kung Lao. The idea derives from the 2005 video game of the same name, with Lin and Huang seeing the idea as a chance to explore more of their character’s pasts and current stories. Fortunately, the nature of Mortal Kombat itself makes such a concept very easy to implement as part of a larger series focused on the tournament for the fate of the realms. On top of that, the HBO Max success of Mortal Kombat suggests the streaming service could be a great platform for spin-offs from the main story of the franchise. For several reasons, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks would be a fantastic one to start with.

Mortal Kombat Is Ripe For Spin-Offs

Mortal Kombat‘s vast ensemble of characters are most well-known for appearing together, but the nature of the franchise lends itself very easily to individualized stories. Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s rivalry on its own could easily be the subject of an entire series, and indeed, it was a major element of the Mortal Kombat reboot. Focusing on singular stories devoted to one or a handful of characters also has precedent in the Mortal Kombat franchise.

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The first season of the web-series Mortal Kombat: Legacy took exactly that approach. Each episode was centered either on one character like Johnny Cage or a small collection like Jax, Kano, and Sonya Blade. Spin-offs from 2021’s Mortal Kombat would be wise to consider a similar strategy, and thanks to Lin and Huang, Shaolin Monks is already on the table.

Why A Shaolin Monks Spin-Off Would Work

The first and most obvious reason why a Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks spin-off would be a wise move are the two characters involved. The fire-wielding Liu Kang and equally formidable Kung Lao are two of the most popular characters in the Mortal Kombat roster, Liu Kang specifically usually portrayed as the franchise’s central hero. The two of them as a team with a few other Mortal Kombat villains on hand would be plenty to get fans of the franchise excited for what’s in store.

Moreover, Liu Kang and Kung Lao were supporting characters in Mortal Kombat, with the original character Cole Young (Lewis Tan) taking center stage. Their aforementioned popularity puts Shaolin Monks in an unusually perfect spot as a spin-off. There would even be plenty of flexibility in the timeline it could take place in, either as a prequel focused on the two monks or a follow-up of Liu Kang freeing Kung Lao’s soul from the captivity of Shang Tsung. With such storytelling benefits already on its side, HBO Max as the platform for a Shaolin Monks spin-off would be an excellent pairing.

HBO Max Is Perfect For Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

The film industry as a whole has been moving in the direction of streaming for years, and the COVID-19 pandemic simply sped that process up considerably. Mortal Kombat‘s success on HBO Max is testimony to this, showing the platform as a good home for movies and series that cater to both wide and centralized demographics. A Shaolin Monks spin-off could fit into both categories, being both part of the Mortal Kombat franchise and also tailored for fans of Liu Kang and Kung Lao specifically, along with general martial arts fans. Shaolin Monks would have the perfect launchpad as an HBO Max original, with a number of different options for what form it could take.

The nature of the Shaolin Monks game itself could even provide a template for a spin-off from the Mortal Kombat reboot to take the form of a miniseries. Doing so could explore the vast mythos of the franchise and Liu Kang and Kung Lao’s histories as Shaolin monks before becoming warriors for Earthrealm. With the main Mortal Kombat series itself moving into the tournament that was set up in the reboot without technically being featured, a more centralized story on Liu Kang and Kung Lao would have the added benefit of being able to go in a very different direction without disrupting the series’ narrative flow.

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Per Lin and Huang’s suggestions, Shaolin Monks could also delve into the duo’s origins, training, introduction to Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), and present day adventures. It could also work as an interquel of sorts between Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat 2, sending Liu Kang and Kung Lao on their own story that pits them against different Outworld villains before the tournament arrives. With HBO Max’s streaming apparatus in need of original content, such a serialized story in the Mortal Kombat universe could help fill that need. The real question is exactly where Mortal Kombat is headed after its sequel set up and HBO Max success, and spreading that continuation across a few projects could be a winning strategy. With the tease of Johnny Cage to be resolved in another installment, Lin and Huang’s proposal of a Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks spin-off could be a valuable building block in the Mortal Kombat franchise.

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About The Author


Brad Curran
(717 Articles Published)

Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Today, Brad channels his thoughts on all manner of movies, from comic book films, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and everything in between through his writings on Screen Rant. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he’s also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. When he’s not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he’s also known to just pop in “The Room” from time to time. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran.

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