Mortal Kombaaaaat! [Cue 1990s techno music.] A live-action reboot of the classic fighting video game is headed back to the big screen. New Line has hired Kevin Tancharoen, who directed the 10-episode Mortal Kombat: Legacy web series: 'Mortal Kombat' Video Game Headed Back to the Big Screen.What's cool is that this whole revival started when Tancharoen and writer Oren Uziel created an unauthorized eight-minute short, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.. Warner Bros. initially tried to shut it down, but demand was so great, it eventually led to the web series, which led to this movie deal:
Uziel wrote and Tancharoen directed the eight-minute short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, which starred Michael Jai White as Jax, Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade, Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage, Ian Anthony Dale as Scorpion and Lateef Crowder as Baraka. Tancharoen did this with the idea that he could prove himself to Warner Bros as an action director and reboot the movie franchise. Initially, Warner Games, which put out a video game reboot in April 2011, wasn’t amused and sought to shut down the project. But Tancharoen’s effort created enough of a demand when it leaked online that the studio’s digital division, Warner Premiere, made a deal with him to generate a 10-episode Web series. Those episodes began airing on YouTube in April 2011.While his feature resume includes musical fare like Fame and Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, I think he's proven pretty clearly that he can handle action. Looking forward to seeing this come together -- especially if they bring back Ian Anthony Dale as Scorpion. More here: 'Mortal Kombat' Video Game Headed Back to the Big Screen.