A new Mortal Kombat feature film is currently in post-production, with a tentative release date for 2021, but long before cameras started rolling in Australia, there was another vision for an MK movie being overseen by director Kevin Tancharoen. His radically different take on Sub-Zero has revealed a glimpse into what might have been. Take a look:
The next chapter in the live-action legacy of Mortal Kombat is officially under way! New webseries director Garrett Warren had the support of out-going director Kevin Tancharoen on day one, sharing a snapshot with confirmed return Casper Van Dien:
In an interview with Film Combat Syndicate; Streamy Award winning choreographer Larnell Stovall has discussed his hopes for the ill fated Mortal Kombat feature film.
When compared to its revolutionary predecessor; Mortal Kombat: Legacy Season II came and went relatively quickly. That hasn't prevented the pioneering Warner Bros. online series receiving acknowledgment, with multiple Streamy Award nominations announced today.
Mortal Kombat is nominated across several genre and technical categories, including awards for: Drama, Directing and Visual and Special Effects. Star Brian Tee has been singled out for his role as an uncharacteristically conflicted incarnation of Liu Kang.
The 4th Annual Streamy Awards will be announced online on September 4th, with a live ceremony to follow September 7th. Sixteen of the top awards will be presented during the live event, sponsored by Coca-Cola.
Reported March 30; Kevin Tancharoen has told Inquisitr he hopes to bring Mortal Kombat: Legacy back to the web for a third series.
The web director announced his departure from the franchise back in October, 2013 [full story]: just one month after the block release of Legacy Series II. He cited new creative opportunities, which have since included another web short for Machinima -The Gable 5; starring Eliza Dushku.
Inquisitr report the director has begun talks with Warner Brothers, and Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon: who's been enlisted for ways forward for the series. Acknowledging the sharp drop-off in popularity for the second series, Tancharoen says they "pissed off way too many people" with their cliff hanger ending. He shows optimism for future instalments, even whilst reportedly telling Inquistr the much-discussed movie is likely off the table.
In a brief tweet: Kevin Tancharoen has apparently signalled his departure from the Mortal Kombat movie franchise.
The director launched Mortal Kombat: Legacy Season II at the end of September [watch], and had been discussing a third online season throughout promotion [read more]. He cites other creative opportunities as motivation for leaving the long rumoured feature film.
After 3 years of Kombat,I've decided to move on to other creative opportunities. I wish everyone involved in the movie big success. Thanks!
— Kevin Tancharoen (@KTANCH) October 25, 2013
Tancharoen exploded onto the scene in 2010 when his unofficial Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short went viral. The live-action footage soon won him the directors chair for Mortal Kombat: Legacy, with plans for a feature film to follow. The online series served as prominent cross-promotion for the 2011 Mortal Kombat game, and rebooted the license under Warner Brothers. Legacy was reported to set a new benchmark for online serial content with millions of views, becoming one of the most watched shows of its kind in YouTube history [more].
While there was certainly success; Tancharoen's individualist approach to the established Mortal Kombat trademarks was always divisive. The initial impact of Rebirth's severe tone found and defined an audience eager for violence and self-seriousness. Legacy struggled to have it both ways thereafter: Neither faithful to the hugely successful source material of the games, nor the vastly removed, urban reinvention of Rebirth. Legacy II utilized core storylines from the games and previous films, but radically rewrote and recast characters and scenarios. It received the most mixed critical response from fans.
Released together; the ten episodes of Legacy II have struggled to recreate the immediate success of the first series. At the time of writing, the first episode boasts over 3.6 million views, but is followed by a 60% drop off that persists as an average just under 1.1 million for the remaining episodes. The penultimate episode [#9] currently has 903,805 views from 3 weeks -- impressive in general, but a step down from the record setting numbers of the virgin series.
By now, you'll have no doubt read our recap of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy II convention panel [full story]. Thanks to YouTube user TheGamerJulie you can draw your own conclusions by watching her amateur footage of the event [embedded below].
We've never had the pleasure of meeting Brian Tee in person, but for all intents and purposes, he seems like a real swell guy! Whilst attending San Diego Comic Con for the Mortal Kombat: Legacy II live panel [full story], he helped keep Mortal Kombat Online [@MK_Online] in the loop via Twitter (@Brian_Tee).
Here are some of the snaps he shared live from the event [plus one from Ed]!
With a previously released schedule putting the debut some time in September; Thursday's Mortal Kombat: Legacy II panel was unlikely to reveal all the secrets fans are waiting for. That said, San Diego Comic Con would still deliver plenty of talking points with a general trailer, and special previews.
Legacy Director Kevin Tancharoen headed the Comic Con panel, opposite stars; Brian Tee (Liu Kang), Casper Van Dien (Johnny Cage), Ian Anthony Dale (Scorpion), and Samantha Jo (Kitana). They were joined by Producer Lance Sloane and Machinima Executive VP of Network Programming: Aaron DeBevoise.
The main event was footage featuring a brutal three-way dance between Johnny Cage, Mileena & Kitana. It clearly addressed concerns about the quality of action seen in the first series, but would come with a qualifier almost in contrast to its content.
By all accounts, "fatality" was the word of the day at the SDCC panel, but as Polygon inferred (from their interview with the director), the messages were slightly mixed. Legacy II may be keen to sell you murderous finishing moves taken from the games, but Tancharoen insists that won't come at the cost of storytelling, or a projected Season 3.