Brace yourselves, Mortal Kombat fans! The iconic franchise is almost back with a new installment, Mortal Kombat 1, and it's set to level up the legacy it has carefully crafted since the early '90s. But that's not even the juiciest part. The WWE legend and Hollywood stalwart Dave Bautista has leaped into the game's universe, and you better believe he's coming in hot.
You may know Dave Bautista for his tenure in WWE as Batista, or maybe as Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy series. Now, in a rather seamless transition, Bautista stars in the latest live-action trailer for Mortal Kombat 1, not as a hard-hitting wrestler or a revenge-seeking alien but as a librarian who transforms into a potentate of combat. It's a departure from his previous roles but one that immediately clicked given Bautista's rich background in combat sports and acting.
Mind you, this trailer isn't your run-of-the-mill sneak peek; it's a nostalgia-laden homage to the classic Mortal Monday commercial from 1993. Remember those days when a teen screaming Mortal Kombat could make you throw 50 bucks at the nearest game store? This reimagined trailer also ramps up the cinematic experience by ten-fold.
Shot by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique and directed by Tom Kuntz, Bautista rallies an army in varied locales - from coffee shops to symphony orchestras - echoing Liu Kang's role in the game, who's since become a deity following the events of Mortal Kombat 11.