MORTAL KOMBAT Fan Pilot

[Folux182]

Hey everyone!

I've been around this site since the early days of MK9 (and traveled for EVO, NCR, and SCR up until Injustice 2) and have loved Mortal Kombat since I was kid. My writing partner and I spent most of the quarantine putting the finishing touches on our hour long tv pilot. He and I are both working in entertainment in Los Angeles; I have an office job as an assistant and my writing partner is a writer working on a show.

This has become a passion project for us. We've ingested almost all of the available Mortal Kombat lore (movies, tv shows, game endings, web series, comics, etc) and studied HistoryBehindTheWarrior's YouTube channel. I am a bit nervous to share this but I believe that the script we wrote is the first episode of a show that can be enjoyed by both fans of the source material and new fans alike. I'm here to see if there were people interested in taking a look and giving their thoughts on the script. If the quick pitch below intrigues you, please ping me separately and I can send the script to you privately.

Mortal Kombat has always been more than a gratuitously violent video game. The vast array of iconic characters come rich with their own extraordinary and captivating backstories. These are the focus of this show: the betrayals between brothers, life-long blood rivals coming head to head, and even bitter vengeance turning itself into something new. However, the world of Mortal Kombat has yet to be fully realized.

To fully respect the characters and to balance out a massive ensemble cast, episodes will be grounded in specific points of view. The first episode is told through the lens of Sonya with Jax, Kano, and Kabal co-starring. Characters previously sidelined and given little in character motivation and development in the video games and other media can be properly explored. Luckily for us, we can absorb decades worth of Mortal Kombat lore and restructure it to be as narratively and emotionally impactful in ways only television can present.

Even though only the first episode is written (with a couple planned changes), we have a working outline for the rest of the first season with each episode building to the tournament itself.

We are currently trying to put together art/storyboards/animatics for the script so if anyone would like to help, please let me know! And thanks for even taking the time to read all of this! Super appreciate it!


-Jon

 

[Bran]

What's your budget?

 

[Folux182]

Honestly, we haven't sat down to set a budget range since we're just starting to send it out and meet. The idea of landing at HBOMax was natural and so I thought of comps on the streaming service and Titans is the closet thing I can think of that's kind of in the same genre. I think Titans was straight to series so I'm not sure how that affected the budget. As of now it's plotted out for 8 episodes.

 

[Juxtapose]

In addition to budget, have you guys actually pitched this to production companies yet, or do you have a list of companies you plan to?

Seeing as how Warner Brothers owns the franchise, I'm curious how that'll work.

 

[Onilordasmodeus]

WB seems so "iron-gripped" about MK. I feel like it would need to be something pretty special for them to take notice and actually put some money behind MK at this point.

Thing is though, MK could just print money for them on both the TV and big screen. They just have to put the right people in the right positions.

 

[Folux182]

We haven't pitched this to a production company yet. We understand that if this goes anywhere, it's most likely landing at HBOMax. We would have to make it through Warner Bros. There's an obvious desire to turn Mortal Kombat into a massive franchise outside of the video games so we felt that if Warner was going to try something new, that it would have to be a tv show. To @Onilordasmodeus 's point, I can totally see Warner Bros wanting to double dip in having the movies be its own thing while they have a separate show running on HBOMax.

 

[Bran]

I would imagine it would have to be Broken Road Productions that would make it, since they are making the movies. Though, truth be told, unlike the DC universe, I think WB wants to keep all the live action projects in the same universe. They already have the video games and animated films as a separate universe. So, having a 4th universe that is also live action might confuse audiences.

If anything, an HBO Max series would probably be connected to the new movie.

 

[Folux182]

I would imagine it would have to be Broken Road Productions that would make it, since they are making the movies. Though, truth be told, unlike the DC universe, I think WB wants to keep all the live action projects in the same universe. They already have the video games and animated films as a separate universe. So, having a 4th universe that is also live action might confuse audiences.

If anything, an HBO Max series would probably be connected to the new movie.

We had written a Fallout pilot as well but axed it when Jonathan and Lisa Nolan signed on to work on it for Amazon but I don't see the latest Mortal Kombat film as the definitive take on the source material and I don't see it attracting new fans to the franchise. We're at 3 different universes (with one with a full on time reset), but I wouldn't be afraid of multiple universes running at the same time as the MCU and DCEU are about a year or two away from full on Multiverse.

 

[OutWorldAleMerchant]

Like the idea of this and hope it goes well. Definitely respect that you try to understand and incorporate the lore. Annoys me when I feel like something MK related doesn't understand its own material.

 

[Marlow]

I'd be less interested in a story featuring the main characters and more interested in a story featuring some minor characters that could focus more on some of the world building. Something that takes place within the MK Universe, but can be an original story and examine new themes through the lenses of the MK universe.

Personally the MK lore has never really appealed to me, it's always come off a bit reductive. Kind of like an imitation of a copy of a copy of another story.

 

[Onilordasmodeus]

Personally the MK lore has never really appealed to me, it's always come off a bit reductive. Kind of like an imitation of a copy of a copy of another story.

Can you give an example of what you mean here?

I think most of the individual characters are done pretty well, but it is in the interactions between characters that the story shines for me.

 

[Marlow]

To me it's just really easy to see the direct inspiration movies like Enter the Dragon, Bloodsport, and Big Trouble in Little China had on MK. It's a very American take on Kung Fu and Wuxia stories. It's not bad, but to me the MK lore comes off more as fan fiction than an homage, if that makes sense.

 

[Onilordasmodeus]

To me it's just really easy to see the direct inspiration movies like Enter the Dragon, Bloodsport, and Big Trouble in Little China had on MK. It's a very American take on Kung Fu and Wuxia stories. It's not bad, but to me the MK lore comes off more as fan fiction than an homage, if that makes sense.

I get you. Though I'd argue that is sort of the point. Liu Kang is Bruce Lee (among others). Johnny Cage is Vandamme. Raiden was pretty much completely influenced by "the storms" in BTLC. Those movies and others were direct influences for MK, and the creators have openly talked about it.

 

[Marlow]

I guess if I had to compare it to something, I'd compare it to the Halo novels. They're ok novels, but they're also (for the most part) fairly standard Space Marine Science Fiction. It's kind of cool to learn about some of the stuff, especially if you're a fan of the games, but it's not really bringing anything new to the table.

That's how I feel about MK lore. It's fun to get more background on the characters, but MK Lore isn't really telling a new story. I'd love to see someone use the MK universe, but tell a new story within that universe.

 

[OutWorldAleMerchant]

MK lore is a mix of western conceptions of fantasy martial arts and with a cosmology very similar to Dungeons and Dragons. I like both of those things very much, so I love MK lore.

 

[Juxtapose]

I guess if I had to compare it to something, I'd compare it to the Halo novels. They're ok novels, but they're also (for the most part) fairly standard Space Marine Science Fiction.

Curious, which novels have you read? As a big fan of the franchise, I read a lot of the early ones and generally thought that they were well done and kept the lore/universe pretty consistent.

The Forerunner trilogy was pretty out there though, and was very interesting sci-fi but didn't feel like Halo. And the Kilo 5 trilogy, it was obvious the author didn't understand the source material at all, and I haven't read anymore of them since.

 

[Marlow]

Curious, which novels have you read? As a big fan of the franchise, I read a lot of the early ones and generally thought that they were well done and kept the lore/universe pretty consistent.

The Forerunner trilogy was pretty out there though, and was very interesting sci-fi but didn't feel like Halo. And the Kilo 5 trilogy, it was obvious the author didn't understand the source material at all, and I haven't read anymore of them since.

I read the first 3 or 4, I think? They're solid novels, I had fun reading them.

If you like the halo novels, I'd reccomend this video:

 

[Folux182]

I think most of the individual characters are done pretty well, but it is in the interactions between characters that the story shines for me.

That's how I feel about MK lore. It's fun to get more background on the characters, but MK Lore isn't really telling a new story. I'd love to see someone use the MK universe, but tell a new story within that universe.

I agree that the stories in the game and the new film are not new but it will be the relationships between the characters that will be the core of any successful MK project.

I do feel like the first tournament is integral to any Mortal Kombat story but once that's wrapped, there are opportunities to see interactions/character moments that have been alluded to in other mediums. Characters like Baraka and Kenshi show up earlier in the timeline in this series than the videogames (Baraka in EP 2 and Kenshi EP 5) This is an opportunity to watch not just fights between characters, but also meaningful conversations between characters who might be nothing but jobbers in the games.

 

[Folux182]

To me it's just really easy to see the direct inspiration movies like Enter the Dragon, Bloodsport, and Big Trouble in Little China had on MK. It's a very American take on Kung Fu and Wuxia stories. It's not bad, but to me the MK lore comes off more as fan fiction than an homage, if that makes sense.

This is totally fair. I think that's why I was drawn to the lore as a kid but as I grew up, I felt like there were a lot of inconsistencies both in terms of story and characters. So now that there's been 20+ years of "fan-fiction" all we need to do is connect the dots into a cohesive tv narrative with a consistent tone!

 

[Bran]

I actually didn't realize you had uploaded the screenplay as well.

 

[Folux182]

I actually didn't realize you had uploaded the screenplay as well.

I've been having such great discussions and have received some great notes already! I figured I should just make it readily available for everyone

 

[Bran]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.

Is this a fan film? Or are you seeking to have WB green light this?

I'm not an attorney or agent (which is why I have one to do that stuff for me) but it isn't a good idea to upload a full script that isn't registered with the WGA. If it is just a fan film, then I'd be careful as you run the risk of WB sending you a C&D, especially if you are pumping yours or someone else's money into it.

Other than that, I can't legally read the script.

I do wish you the best of luck. But if you have the pilot script and a series bible written, I'd probably hire an agent and just send it to Warner Bros and see if they are interested. Due to WB, Broken Road, and New Line all having an investment in the new movies, I don't think any other production company or financer would touch it for potential legal reasons. I'd start with those three entities to get their approval.

 

[Folux182]

Oh of course!

It's a pilot, but in no world would we try to attempt to develop something with this script without the direct approval of Warner Bros. There's no money being pumped into this and we have no plans on making a fan film. It's nothing more than a spec script.

We sent it last week to a couple managers we've worked with in the past, but as prior assistants at both management companies and agencies, we know how many scripts get lost or are never read, most bad, few good, but especially those that come from writers without a credit to their name. So we were just trying to create a little noise to see what conversations/situations come up. Getting feedback from the community has been useful as well!

Having something that's both tangible and something that I think really works, makes me antsy. I really do think we have a solid foundation with this script.

Honestly, thanks for the luck. And I'm looking forward to when our paths cross through work somewhere/sometime in the future!

 

[Juxtapose]

I do wish you the best of luck. But if you have the pilot script and a series bible written, I'd probably hire an agent and just send it to Warner Bros and see if they are interested. Due to WB, Broken Road, and New Line all having an investment in the new movies, I don't think any other production company or financer would touch it for potential legal reasons. I'd start with those three entities to get their approval.

As someone else who works in the industry, these are my general thoughts as well. Having said that, @Folux182 I truly do wish you luck!