According to director Simon McQuoid, the new Mortal Kombat movie used gallons of fake blood while filming. The gloriously violent video game franchise started in 1992 and only three years later saw a live-action film adaptation release. The success and relatively fun nature of the 1995 film saw Mortal Kombat getting a sequel two years later, which turned out to be the disastrous Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Although the 1995 installment is certainly superior, both films still had the problem of being PG-13, hindering their ability to showcase the brutality and bloody violence Mortal Kombat is known for. The 2021 reboot, however, built a lot of fan excitement thanks to it being rated R and the fact it promised game-accurate fatalities.

As the reboot gears up for its April 16 release in theatres and on HBO Max, Warner Bros. dropped the much-anticipated trailer two weeks ago. Not only did it showcase iconic characters, such as Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Liu Kang, and Shang Tsung, but it featured countless moments of bloody violence, and Sub-Zero even using Scorpion’s own blood to stab him with. There was also the brutal fatality moment that saw Kano ripping out someone’s heart and then holding it while uttering his video game line of “Kano wins.” The trailer has helped generate a lot of buzz for the film, and it even became the most-viewed red band trailer of all time. If fans were happy with the use of blood in the trailer, they should be overjoyed knowing there is still tons (or gallons) of blood to come.

Related: Every Fatality In The Mortal Kombat Trailer Explained

In a report from CinemaBlend, director McQuoid was quizzed about the level of violence and bloodshed in his upcoming video game film, and according to the director, there was no shortage of fake blood on set. “I don’t know the gallon number, but I’ve seen drums of blood sitting around,” the director said during a set visit. In the report, it even does the math, highlighting how “there were multiple drums of blood sitting around, meaning they were “at least working with over a hundred gallons, which comes out to about 69 human bodies’ worth of fake blood.”

Mortal Kombat Kano Fatality

Having fake blood that equates to 69 human bodies sounds absurd, but if McQuoid and co insisted on honoring the franchise, it’s likely the necessary amount. The comment from McQuoid is another sign of the director providing the types of comments and insight that die-hard fans of the franchise will want to hear. The most common complaint about the 1995 film was its toned action scenes, which could not compare to the video game due to the PG-13 rating. So knowing that there is much more blood to come, and add in the fact the director highlighted how the film has the best fight scenes that have ever been on film,” makes for an exciting combination for fans.

The use of blood also helps explain why Lewis Tan, who plays a new character named Cole Young, felt sick on the set while watching some of the fatalities. Of course, amidst all the excitement, the Cole Young character has been one of the few complaints from fans. As of right now, there seem to be more positives than negatives for fans when it comes to the film. However, it remains to be seen whether Mortal Kombat will live up the hype, but one thing director McQuoid has assured fans of is that there will be no shortage of blood.

Next: Why Mortal Kombat's Johnny Cage Actor Didn't Return for Annihilation

Source: CinemaBlend

Key Release Dates