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Director to go from commercials to feature-length films with 'Mortal Kombat' reboot

Rick Marshall
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A reboot of the Mortal Kombat movie franchise has been in the works for quite a while now, with various filmmakers and producers attached to the project over the years, but now the film appears to be moving forward once again with a new creative team.

According to a recent report, director Simon McQuoid will make his feature debut on a Mortal Kombat reboot produced by The Conjuring and Furious 7 director James Wan.

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Variety reports that McQuoid will make the move from directing commercials to helming feature-length projects, starting with the big-screen reboot of the popular franchise based on the ultra-violent fighting game. No stranger to video games, McQuoid previously directed commercials for PlayStation and the Halo franchise, including the celebrated 2011 ad “Michael,” which features a group of Sony game characters honoring the player who orchestrated many of their greatest victories.

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A highly sought-after commercial director, McQuoid has won several prestigious awards for his ad work on various campaigns.

Michael - PS3 Long Live Play - Official Trailer - Full Length - PlayStation Michael 2011 [HD] + Sub

There’s no timetable for the Mortal Kombat reboot to go into production at this point, but McQuoid is expected to work from the most recent script penned by screenwriter Greg Russo. There’s no word at this point on what the plot of the film will entail.

First released in 1992, the original Mortal Kombat  courted controversy with the vicious, gory graphics that accompanied its horror-themed fighting format. The game franchise went on to become one of the most successful fighting game series of all time, and spawned a two-film live-action movie franchise. The first film premiered in 1995, and was followed by a less-successful sequel two years later.

Several animated and live-action series were produced in the following years, including the well-received live-action web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, which is credited with reigniting interest in the live-action adaptation aspect of the franchise.

The most recent installment of the game franchise, Mortal Kombat X, was released last year.

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Rick Marshall
Rick Marshall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
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