The premiere of the upcoming Mortal Kombat film was recently pushed back, though not by much, drawing out the excitement that many long-time fans have for the live-action adventure. While it does feature some of the most iconic characters from the franchise and will likely stay true to the core themes and lore, the movie won’t be for old fans alone. New fans will also be able to take something away from the film according to a recent interview with the Mortal Kombat director.

As reported by Comicbook, in a recent press event director Simon McQuoid explains that the team behind the film wanted to make a movie that everybody could enjoy right from the start without destroying the main focus of what the Mortal Kombat franchise is all about. That being said, the team didn’t want to haphazardly throw content in just for new fans. Instead, it appears that the filmmakers are more or less expanding the existing content rather than changing it altogether in the hopes of making it more accessible for everyone. It’s certainly an interesting approach, and hopefully the film manages to succeed in its attempt to welcome new and old fans alike when it releases later this month. “We really did consider the new fans a lot in this film, but we always felt that we could respect the fans and the material and not alienate anyone new,” McQuoid said.

We don’t really change anything fundamentally to try and pay service to new fans. It was like, “Come on the ride with us. The fans have been here before, and you’ll enjoy it.” We wanted to actually expand it out to new people rather than change it to make it easier for new people. So, that was quite a fundamental point of view going in. But it’s like, “No, no, let’s expand it out so more people can enjoy the truth of what’s here rather than change that truth.””

The upcoming film will follow a new character by the name of Cole Young, a washed-up MMA fighter who finds himself training with the Elder God Raiden in order to protect his family and Earthrealm. Along the way he’ll run into a wide variety of characters that fans know and love from the Mortal Kombat franchise such as the mercenary Kano, the Lin Kuei warrior Sub-Zero, the undead assassin Scorpion, the Special Forces heroes Jax and Sonya Blade, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, and many more. Which fighter are you hoping to see the most?

The Mortal Kombat movie is set to premiere on April 23rd of this year, and if the R rating and glorious red band trailers are anything to go by, fans are sure to be in for a treat. Let us know your thoughts on the direction the Mortal Kombat movie may go to include newer fans into the franchise and more in the comments section below. As always, don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.

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