Reports of a rumored character list for the next Mortal Kombat movie have had everybody talking, but the most important voice may be Greg Russo's.

The writer of the film took to Twitter to respond to concerns raised by the leaked information, clarifying that the list was based on an earlier version of the script, and only partially accurate.

A Mortal Kombat theatrical reboot has been in the works for much of the last decade, but the most recent phase only began in 2015, with news James Wan was attached to produce.

A first-time director soon followed, but substantial information has been scarce in the eighteen months since, leading to a smattering of conflicting rumors, misinformation, and unsubstantiated reports.

That Hashtag Show claims uncredited exclusive information from a new script by confirmed writer Greg Russo, who is also working on several other video game related projects, including: a Resident Evil reboot, and F.E.A.R. adaptation for Warner Digital's Machinima channel.

The story centers around a list of characters led by "Cole Turner" -- a Philadelphia boxer, and father, reportedly created to lead the movie.

If true: the new invention may be conceived as an entry point character, who will discover the Mortal Kombat universe as surrogate for the audience. With just a hint of Rocky to inform the concept, he may also provide the film a meaningful lead character to kill for a more bloodthirsty adaptation.

More than a year after reports Furious 7 director James Wan would step in to produce: The Mortal Kombat movie may have found its director!

Variety reports Australian director Simon McQuoid is in talks to make his international feature film debut with the long anticipated video game adaptation.

The acclaimed advertising director is best known for commercial work, producing ads for: PlayStation, Xbox, HP, Beats by Dre, Samsung, Logitech, Nissan and Duracell [embedded below], along with other high profile brands. Much of McQuoid's work features effects work and slick production - skills perfectly suited to bringing the world of Mortal Kombat to life!

Press day at the Television Critics Association has given us the first word on the Mortal Kombat movie reboot from high profile producer James Wan!

Speaking to IGN, the Furious 7 and upcoming Aquaman director emphasized his appreciation for the original games and movies, citing the need to "do it right" as the reason production will continue to 'cook away' and take its time.

Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment continues to go from strength to strength with it's two biggest releases of 2015, The Wall Street Journal reports. The success of Mortal Kombat X and Batman: Arkham Knight has seen each game reach milestone sales in excess of five million units globally! It makes the latest instalment of the twenty-three year MK series one of its highest selling ever!

The path back to cinemas has been long and hard for the once lucrative Mortal Kombat. A theatrical return has long been discussed, but struggles to exit development hell have waned amidst experimental webseries, and changes in culture.

The movie may have received its best backing to date, with The Tracking Board reporting Saw and Insidious director James Wan will join the film as Producer.

Wan is in hot demand of late, working his way from low budget horror to the pinnacle of Hollywood action blockbusters with this year's Furious 7. He's already attached to direct Warner Brother's 2018 superhero franchise builder: Aquaman, with Jason Momoa in the title role. Past Producer credits include the first five Saw sequels.

The Tracking Board cites Oren Uziel (MK: Legacy) and Dave Callaham (Doom) as script writers. The plot remains tangentially related to the fiction of the hugely successful video game series, centering around a "seemingly harmless guy" who discovers his hidden powers, and uses them to enter the tournament. The film has reportedly been described by the studio as "a departure from the mythology" featuring "darker, brutally real martial arts."

Deviations from the games fit previous plot reports, and the work seen in live-action webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Web director Kevin Tancharoen was previously involved in taking his vision to the big screen, but exited the project in October, 2013 [full story].

Mortal Kombat is underway with New Line Cinema and Broken Road Productions (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Knight and Day). This month marks the 20th anniversary of the first New Line distributed Mortal Kombat movie.

Departed Legacy director Kevin Tancharoen has offered a small glimpse into the movie that might have been. He took to Instagram to reveal an unused design for Mileena in the stalled third Mortal Kombat feature.

Universal Pictures' 2013 martial arts fantasy 47 Ronin may have come and gone with devastatingly little fanfare -- but it seems its samurai star Keanu Reeves has caught the eye of Ed Boon. The Mortal Kombat franchise co-creator tweeted his fantasy kombat kasting, endorsing the actor as a "great" option for Kenshi.

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.

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.