Mortal Kombat was filmed in Adelaide, at Adelaide Studios, Coober Pedy, and Mount Crawford in South Australia. This Australian production is one of the first large scale films that has completed remote post-production between some 13+ Australian picture post-production, sound post-production, music and visual effects companies across Australia and a US studio, with the majority of post-production completed in South Australia. A truly collaborative partnership.
The production was supported by the Australian Government through Screen Australia and attracted to South Australia by the South Australian Government through South Australian Film Corporation, with additional support provided by the New South Wales Government through Screen NSW and the Victorian Government through Film Victoria.
The film is helmed by award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid, marking his feature directorial debut, and produced by James Wan (The Conjuring universe films, Aquaman), Todd Garner (Into the Storm, Tag), McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh (Men in Black: International, The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
For Walsh, he has always tried to get the studios to do more post remotely, and now with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down productions worldwide, he sees the perception of remote post changing. He notes that Mortal Kombat wasn’t the only production that was in the post-production stage during the pandemic and believes that if such a large production could combat remote post, then this is the way of the post-pandemic future: “If I was shooting in Budapest even, I’d still post the film here and have the director and editor in LA if that’s where the studio wants them”, says Walsh.