After the success of the live-action Mortal Kombat feature film released in 2021, reports are surfacing that HBO Max is developing a Mortal Kombat animated series. Video game adaptations used to have a reputation for being doomed to failure, based in part on the the 1997 box office flop Mortal Kombat: Annihilation—but times may be changing.
According to an exclusive insider source from Giant Freaking Robot, that the success of this year’s film has led HBO Max to develop an animated series. It remains unclear how closely the new series will be tied to the cinematic universe of the live-action film.
HBO Max’s Mortal Kombat film successfully drew new customers to join the then-new HBO Max streaming service, so it would make sense for the upcoming animated series to tie into the film and develop on its stories. For the time being, however, this upcoming series is just a rumor. No official confirmation has been given by WarnerMedia yet.
The Mortal Kombat franchise has a long history of video games and adaptations, each of which providing plenty of material for a new series. Last year brought another successful animated movie, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, with a sequel coming out next week on Aug. 31, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms. Those two movies aren’t owned by HBO, though, so maybe that is why HBO Max is developing its own animated take.
