Exclusive - Mortal Kombat: Annihilation director talks about the James Wan reboot

James Wan is currently in Australia and England shooting DC Extended Universe outing Aquaman, but another adaptation on his plate is the live-action reboot of Mortal Kombat. Wan was announced as the producer on the movie in August 2015, with Simon McQuoid in talks to direct. Not a lot has been said on the movie since then, but we spoke with someone who knows a lot about the previous movies for his take on the project.

John R. Leonetti (Annabelle) was the director of photography on Paul W.S. Anderson’s 1995 Mortal Kombat, and was promoted to the director’s chair at the behest of producer Lawrence Kasanoff for the sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Leonetti has an incredible back catalogue of films in various genres, but has recently been working as director of photography on James Wan movies Insidious and The Conjuring, which led to him getting the director’s seat on spin-off Annabelle.

“We haven’t talked in a while, but we have talked about this,” Leonetti said of his relationship with Wan. “I think video games are huge, and [the reboot was] inevitable. I just hope this time – and I know he will – that James will put a different slant on it. I think he’ll make it really fun. I doubt I’ll have anything to do with it.”

You can read our full interview with John R. Leonetti about his new movie Wish Upon here.

In the book Lights, Camera, GAME OVER!: How Video Game Movies Get Made [which is available now], Anderson and Kasanoff spoke about how Leonetti didn’t have a great time directing Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and the production was very tough. While Mortal Kombat earned $114 million, the sequel made just $51 million worldwide. In the book, Kasanoff revealed the film was released unfinished. “I’m telling you the effects in that movie are not the final effects.” Kasanoff admits. “I never anticipated that someone would take the movie and go, ‘it’s good enough’. We weren’t done. We never finished that movie. But the studio said, ‘we don’t care’. We sacrificed quality for business.”

Mortal Kombat currently has no release date.

E Crash

Why is a pic of the moron Sega version on here? Horrible. The names aren’t even in the marquees above. Pissed me off as a young lad. The Super NES was the closest to sound and graphics at the time, though no blood. I wanted the sound and graphics more than some cheesy blood though. Super NES for the win on MK1 and 2, especially 2. Screw Arena entertainment.
E Crash

Leonetti shouldn’t have crap to do with any more movies. What a crap director. Annihilation was complete garbage. They shoulda kept Paul on the movies. This guy couldn’t direct a choir at a nursing home.
- Mala do Aécio
  
  I agree that he’s a horrible director, but as the producer says ‘Annihilation’
  was released unfinished. Acording to actress Dana Hee who played Milleena: “What went wrong…was ‘studio’ control’ issues conflicting over the main producer’s sight and vision. The studio interfered and dominated key decisions. They made critical decisions that really hurt the film. What a shame! Even so…The producer did edit a version of the movie that was MUCH better than what you saw. Again, the studio overruled…and it bombed.”
  - E Crash
    
    You couldn’t save that garbage script or actors. What much else could have been done? Ugh.. .
    - Mala do Aécio
      
      I have the original script. Most of the key-scenes that are crucial to the plot aren’t in the movie.
      - E Crash
        
        It was horrible. I doubt I’d even want to see the other version. TERRIBLE.