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| Writer and director Kevin Tancharoen (left) with actor Ian Anthony Dale on the set of Mortal Kombat Legacy (2011) |
April Fools’ Day is long gone for the remainder of its following year. So, one may be baffled by Kevin Tancharoen‘s latest announcement on Twitter on Friday night, stating he would be parting ways with Mortal Kombat, ending his role with the franchise as the writer and director of the pending film and two previous webseries seasons for Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.
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
The announcement comes just a month off the release of the second season of Mortal Kombat Legacy with talk of a third season and a film that has since been reported to be actively developing. Progress on the film itself has been long-awaited since another movie was in the works nearly a decade ago to be shot on-location in Louisiana following the first two films from New Line Cinema, only to be shelved again due to Hurricane Katrina.
Hopes arose once more with the production of the Glee: 3D director’s seven-and-a-half minute 2010 fan film trailer, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, depicting seven of the famous characters from the successful franchise with Michael Jai White, Ian Anthony Dale, Richard Dorton, Matt Mullins, Lateef Crowder, Jeri Ryan and James Lew. Rebirth eventually led to the production of the hit webseries, Mortal Kombat Legacy, which aired in the Spring of 2011, followed by Mortal Kombat Legacy 2 back in September.
Aside from a few previous reports on the budget, in addition to writer Oren Uziel providing the script for the film with Tancharoen, this leaves a lot in the air for fans who have been waiting for well over a decade and a half for a director hungry enough to help revive the first cinematic reboot for Mortal Kombat.
