The Sub-Zero costume worn by actor Joe Taslim in the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie weighed a whopping 33 pounds. Despite the fast-paced action and outright brutality of its violence, actually creating those fighting scenes wasn’t as easy as it may appear – particularly for Taslim, who had the extra weight to carry.
The new film comes two decades after Mortal Kombat: Annihilation arrived in theaters and subsequently disappointed many fans of the famed fighting-game franchise. After two Mortal Kombat film adaptations, it seemed as though exactly what made the game so irresistible just wasn’t coming through on the big screen. It’s long been a frustration for many fans, but the latest attempt at fixing past faults and creating a film that feels like a far more accurate adaption is almost here. And of course, one of the greatest things about Mortal Kombat has always been its roster of characters. Though these characters have changed over the years and brand new faces have joined the series, some of the franchise’s most beloved characters are those who have been a part of the game since the start.
Even today, some 29 years after the game first arrived, it’s Sub-Zero who tops the favorite character list of many fans. With his famed cryomancy abilities and extensive history within the Mortal Kombat universe, it’s definitely hard not to like the character. For this reason, Taslim’s portrayal of Sub-Zero is likely to be heavily scrutinized by fans. Thankfully, regardless of how the new Mortal Kombat film fares, there doesn’t seem to be much doubt that Taslim put everything he could into the role. In fact, according to a new Variety interview with the Sub-Zero actor, the character’s costume weighed 33 pounds. Naturally, this posed a significant challenge for Taslim right from the start. Taslim said:
It looks so dope, an amazing design and then I tried to walk. I couldn’t walk. It was so heavy. I was like, ‘How am I going to fight in this costume?’
Taslim went on to say that although there was a lighter costume available for more intense stunt work, he lost five pounds from wearing the suit on a daily basis. The end result meant that the physically draining action scenes in a very heavy suit left him walking “like a grandpa” in the early weeks of shooting until he eventually got used to it. This certainly doesn’t sound like much fun for any actor, but Taslim’s hard work will hopefully pay off upon the film’s release. What’s more, the degree of fitness that the former Indonesian national Judo team member required for the role will likely only add to its intensity.
At present, it’s hard to say how Mortal Kombat will fare upon its release, but it does seem that Warner Bros. is banking on a hit. Taslim has already signed a five-movie contract and everything that fans have seen so far of the new film looks quite stunning. In this way, it does seem that at long last, Mortal Kombat will get the feature film adaptation that it deserves.
Source: Variety
