The momentous arrival of new crime drama series The Brothers Sun brings promise with a first episode that delivers multitonal drama and comedy with several servings of violence and fisticuffs. Eight episodes are streaming on Netflix following its premiere on Thursday so after this, you’re welcome to dive in for yourselves if you’re keen as this review will just cover the pilot episode.
This is gonna feel like such a tease, but the folks over at Discussing Film were able to get in touch with Greg Russo on his progress with the screenplay for the upcoming Mortal Kombat film. The script is complete according to the report, and for which Simon McQuoid remains attached to direct as he’s been since November 2016.
It’s getting a bit more hopeless with each passing month that we’ve been left with lesser and lesser prospects of a Mortal Kombat feature film since its announcement in 2010. However painful that may be to many, director Kevin Tancharoen’s application to the last two seasons of Mortal Kombat Legacy brought plenty of attention from fans for a successful webseries between 2011 and 2013 before he departed any and all business related to the franchise, and then reportedly came back in early 2014 for a mystery project leading toward a possible third season.
Well, its been many months since that report with Warner Bros. eventually breaking the news in a press release announcing an untitled Mortal Kombat series as part of their new digital production arm, Blue Ribbon Content. As it turns out, filming is expected to begin in Los Angeles sometime this month, if not already, and information linked to a casting call already hints to a slate of new characters relevant to the game franchise, including Mortal Kombat: Deception and the upcoming Mortal Kombat X. MK Online forwarded the news this week via info directly from its page over at ActorsAccess.com.
[ BO’ RAI’ CHO ]
50s-60s – ANY ETHNICITY – This drunken man tells Jin that he will show him the way to the Shaolin academy, for a small price. He is affable and appears harmless. However, later we see that he is an expert fighter, and no fool. He reveals himself to be Bo Rai Cho, the master of Wu Shi. He leads Jin to the Wu Shi Academy. He is a rotund man with healthy appetites and never without a drink. He teaches with every opportunity and has taught several great warriors, including Liu Kang, and Kung Lao at the Wu Shi Academy. Bo’ Rai Cho originates from Outworld but has not, however, participated in a Mortal Kombat tournament, knowing that if he wins, his victory would be in the name of Shao Kahn for his status as an Outworlder. So he instead chose to utilize his fighting skills to train Earthrealm warriors…LEAD
[ DVORAH ]
Female, late 20s early 30s, bug-like articulation. Dvorah is of a sentient colonial race called the Kytinn, which populates the island realm of Arnyek. The solitary nature of the Kytinn meant a common defense of their realm was nonexistent; thus it was conquered and merged with Outworld by Shao Kahn. Dvorah’s loyalty and insightfulness, unusual traits for a Kytinn, led to her quick political rise. Soon she found herself among the emperor’s closest advisers. She serves the current ruler of Outworld, Kotal Kahn…LEAD
[ SCORPION AKA HANZO HASASHI ]
In his 30s to 40s, angry, tortured, and tough, Hanzo is a Ninja master. Hanzo was a member of the Shirai-Rya clan until they and his family were killed by Sub-Zero of the rival Lin Kuei clan. Hanzo’s soul was claimed by the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi, who resurrected him as the revenant Scorpion and gave him the chance to avenge his family’s deaths. Full of rage and hellfire, Scorpion fights alongside Quan Chi in Netherrealm’s invasion of Earthrealm…LEAD
[ TAKEDA ]
In his mid 20s, quiet and mild-mannered, but with an angry streak, he is the “nice” one of the group. He is a world-class swordsman and he is adept at telepathy and telekinesis. Takahashi Takeda is the son of the hero Kenshi and a young Thai-American woman named Suchin, whom Kenshi met during his travels. When Suchin passed away, Kenshi was shocked to learn he had had an eight-year-old son with her. He took Takeda to Hanzo Hasashi, the former Scorpion, to be instructed in the Martial Arts. Takeda had no contact with his father for many years, until the day he was to leave Hanzo’s tutelage. Kenshi revealed that he had left Takeda with Hanzo to protect him from his mother’s murderer. Despite this revelation, and subsequent reconciliation with Kenshi, Takeda has abandonment issues yet to overcome—which makes working with his father in Johnny Cage’s Special Forces team a challenge at times…LEAD
[ SALAZAR ]
In his 30s to 40s, quiet, reserved, downcast, he is a mercenary in the service of the Emperor. Intelligent and eloquent, he sounds like he may be American. Salazar’s exact origins are unknown. Born on Earth, he somehow found himself in Outworld. There he spent years wandering its vast territories, selling his amazing weaponry skills to local warlords. Now in the employ of the emperor, Kotal Kahn, Salazar shows no inclination to return to Earthrealm—or aid them in their present struggles…LEAD
[ KUNG JIN ]
In his mid 20s, with a slight Asian accent, Kung Jin is the younger cousin of the Earthrealm hero Kung Lao. He is cerebral but streetwise. He is American in speech patterns/idioms. When Kung Lao was killed in the war against Outworld, Kung’s family’s fortunes took a turn for the worse. He journeyed to the U.S. and became a thief. An encounter with Raiden changed Jin’s outlook, and he joined the Shaolin monks. Now a member of Johnny Cage’s secret Special Forces offshoot, Jin’s streetwise past provides him extra insight into the minds and motivations of those who would harm Earthrealm…LEAD
[ RON TAN’ CHO ]
Male, 45-60. Asian. Ron Tan’ Cho is an underground crime boss. He does what he wants, takes what he wants & always get what he wants. He has one wicked smile that if shown to you means trouble. He enjoys toying with his enemies & seeing the fear on their faces. D’Vorah attempts to attack him, and she fails due to his Goons apprehending her. LEAD
Hollywood Stunt Coordinator Garret Warren is taking the helm this time as director with Jenny Hinkey and Lance Sloane producing, in addition to the prospects of the possible return of respective characters Johnny Cage and Kung Lao via Casper Van Dien and Mark Dacascos who have been busy overseas in Asia filming at least two movies, including Relentless and Showdown In Manila. As for other Kombat-related casting speculations, it still remains to be seen if actor Brian Tee will return as disgraced Shaolin Monk-turned-civilian Liu Kang following his cliffhanger with warrior monk Lao, or whether or not Dave McInnis will reprise his S2 role as thunderous Earthrealm protector, Raiden. Actor Ian Anthony Dale played the role for both seasons, so it will be interesting to see who takes his place for this go-around.
Moreover, with mention of the Special Forces end of the MK universe, perhaps we’ll see a new actress in the role of Sonya Blade if it isn’t Jeri Ryan, or actor Eric Jacobus get some more screentime as Kurtis Stryker, or possibly see Michael Jai White smash hell out of something with his new set of cybernetic strength enhancers as Jackson “Jax” Briggs this time, and even inviting a great opportunity to see the possible return of Darren Shahlavi as the red-eyed arms dealing murderer, Kano.
I could go on, I know. DC Comics issued its first copy of its Mortal Kombat digital comic book last week so perhaps there may be some answers there leading up to the release of the new game. Other than that, speculate away as this news continues to develop!
As much as many of us still may want a Mortal Kombat movie, it doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon (I desperately want to be proven wrong). However, it looks like Warner Bros. is planning another live-action webseries as part of a new slate of projects courtesy of WB’s digital production branch, Blue Ribbon Content.
The series is untitled, but is currently poised for an April 2015 airing in sync with the release of Mortal Kombat X, the newest game from WB and Netherealm Studios. Much ado has been said about a possible third season following an initial report earlier this year with surprise statements from once-former series director, Kevin Tancharoen. “With Legacy Season 1, it was kind of a big experiment.” said Tancharoen in acknowledging how a new season would be approached in comparison to the first two seasons. “No one has done it before, and we didn’t know if should be an anthology or connected. We did the first one as an anthology and the second one more serialized. In the future, it will definitely be more connected and more cohesive… We all feel right now that we have such a trajectory to the series. There are so many more stories to tell in that format.”
Tancharoen was previously tied to direct a feature-length reboot for Warner Bros. after his 2010 short, Mortal Kombat Rebirth, leaked online, and to much avail from fans and even Warner executives. From there the hit webseries, Mortal Kombat Legacy took off with two hit seasons while hosted on YouTube by online platform, Machinima before the director shocked fans with a tweet late last year, separating himself from all things Mortal Kombat. After Tancharoen‘s statements, at least one actor who starred in the series, Casper Van Dien who played Johnny Cage in season two, began posting a few notable pictures on social media last month openly hinting at the likelihood of a third season.
For what it’s worth, all things here appear to be shaping up pretty well and we might even get Tancharoen back in the director’s chair. Besides, anyone who hates cliffhangers and loves Mortal Kombat would undoubtedly be curious to see just what the exact f*ck happened after that tease of a season two finale… I know I am, especially with the new series aiming to bring back some of the old characters, as well as new ones – a move that could finally grant us some proper action sequences with a cybernetically enhanced Michael Jai White in the role of Jax Briggs, and a red-eyed killer Kano played previously by Darren Shahlavi, (both who starred in the first season) to name a few.
Tancharoen has otherwise been busy working on a number of short film projects this year, and even putting in somework on the latest season of ABC’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Details are still pending on the director’s upcoming holiday crime thriller, The Guns Of Christmas Past for Voltage Pictures, and maybe even (with the good graces of our movie overlords at Warner Bros.), the Mortal Kombat movie written by Tancharoen and Men In Black 3 scribe Oren Uziel which we were once promised. “…Crazy fatalities and surprise characters with a hard R-rating for sure!…” said series fight choreographer Larnell Stovall when asked earlier this month about his aspirations for feature film treatment. “…I truly hope Warner Bros and New Line make it happen, whether I am involved or not. I simply just want to see these characters on the big screen. They deserve it!!”
#GetOverHere and follow Tancharoen on Twitter, and watch for more updates!
H/T: ComingSoon.net via Mashable
In the beginning, the universe and its realms were in harmony, but even gods are not immune to power and greed. This balance was soon thrown into discord. The power-hungry gods challenged each other over the fates of their respective realms. They battled to the death in tournaments alongside mortal champions chosen from each realm. For millennia, Shao Kahn — the Emperor of Outworld — has successfully expanded his domain by defeating other realms. Edenia was the last realm to lose the tournament and fall to Shao Kahn. Ten years ago in the last tournament, Outworld and Earth-realm’s warriors clashed, and Liu Kang emerged victorious. Earth-realm was spared. But now Shao Kahn’s challenge has come again, and a new war is about to commence. The fate of Earth-realm and its inhabitants rests upon the outcome of this tournament. Let the kombat begin.
Kevin Tancharoen may have abstained from his former prospects as the hopeful director of a once-promised live action Mortal Kombat feature film, but his filmmaking days are clearly far from over as he has since moved forward with other creative ideas at his disposal. As such, we are now accommodated with Tancharoen‘s s brand new shortfilm, The Gable 5, which sees Dollhouse star and TV genre icon, actress Eliza Dushku as the unwitting subject of a government-sanctioned off-the-books experiment to find a way to end mankind’s capacity for war.
Dushku expressed her excitement for the project in a recent interview with Crave Online, stating, in part, the following: “I loved this idea of deconstructing science and psychology to change current and future humanity. It’s something that we attempted — and were limited in doing — with ‘Dollhouse.’ It’s in the same vein and we of course, jam packed it full of asskicking.”. Tentatively, The Gable 5 is a standalone pilot for a potential webseries that could happen if things look up. It’s a far cry from Tancharoen‘s previous area of focus, but it looks just as impressive and entertaining. And considering that Tancharoen also co-wrote this particular pilot, The Gable 5 represents a further amplification of him as a very strong writer on top of being a stellar director.
Mortal Kombat needs him badly. That’s just my opinion.
In the meantime, watch some magic happen in The Gable 5 right now, courtesy of Machinima Prime. James Morrison and Steve Harris also star, with action sequences designed by Larnell Stovall.
DESCRIPTION:
In a remote location, a secret facility exists unlike anything the world has ever seen. Run by Dr. Conrad Gable, a renowned neurologist, the facility is years ahead of it’s time when it comes to the technology it’s using to research the human body. With an unlimited budget backed by a classified department of the government, Dr. Gable’s motives appear to be for the greater good of humanity. – The chance to create a drug so powerful it could be used to win every battle, every war, with no casualties.
Now all he needs are, 5 test subjects…
UPDATE: This article now includes newly added links to the crowdfunding page that began on Wednesday, following the Tuesday posting of this article.
While any promise of screenwriter Oren Uziel’s script for a feature-length live-action Mortal Kombat movie continues to sit in a painful state of limbo, inspired fan film efforts are keep things moving forward with the latest trailer for the unofficial shortfilm production, Mortal Kombat: The One. Set to begin production later this year for a Fall airing, the new project comes from from student filmmaker Anthony Pellino, whose script for the film’s possible 12-to-15 minute duration will center namely on characters, Lin Kuei ninja Sub-Zero and the God of Thunder himself, Raiden, loosely based on the plot from the original games.
SYNOPSIS:
Set a few years before the 10th tournament in Manhattan, Rayden is desperate. He has very few leads on potential fighters, and he knows this is his last chance. He needs the best. By blackmailing an even more desperate on-the-run Sub-Zero, (running from the Cyber Initiative) Rayden promises Sub-Zero protection from the Lin-Kuei in exchange for services.
Together they devise ways to lure the very small list of fighters they have into joining their cause and training them up until the tournament.
Pellino‘s latest labor of love caught the attention of the folks at Mortal Kombat Online who inquired with Pellino about his goals for the project, to which he replied with the following: “With an incredibly talented group of people on board, we hope to make something the fans can appreciate, even though it does not exactly follow the timeline of MK.”.
Brooklyn night club Slake NYC and Manhattan concert venue Olivia are reported to be the collective production grounds for the new shortfilm, in which Shaolin hero characters Liu Kang and Kai will also appear. Other characters may include an epilogue sequence featuring Outworld emperor Shao Khan, princess Kitana and her acid-spewing guardian Reptile, depending on how far Pellino can stretch his budget, which means crowdfunding has officially begun.
Granted, this is just a teaser, and still leaves yet to be known if the new project could match the success previously earned in 2010 by filmmaker Kevin Tancharoen whose own eight minute shortfilm had starpower and led to the prospects of a Hollywood film proposal from Warner Bros. and a sucessful two-season webseries before his unceremonious departure late last year. However, if this ambitious new fan film does manage to deliver on its own, could Pellino very well be the next Kevin Tancharoen? What do you think?
Watch the trailer below and speak out in the comment section below, and feel free to visit the project’s official Indiegogo campaign page for donation information, details on the perks you can earn, and much more.
H/T: Mortal Kombat Online
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.
Since the leak of the shortfilm, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth in 2010, Tancharoen has gained distinct notoriety for his creative and unique vision for the film franchise founded on Midway’s initial arcade game release in 1992, Mortal Kombat, created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. With a long series of follow-up games, the feature release of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, a comic book debut, a cartoon and the broadcast of the television series, Mortal Kombat: Conquest among other things, the fighting game most known for its brutal special moves and x-ray combos, bloody, bloody fatalities, hidden codes, wacky friendships and babalities, and sequences that tested your might for close to twenty years, has earned immense popularity among gamers and film fans alike, with even long-waited expectations for a third film that never happened to due a series of slow downs that includes the tragedy and devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina, and a now-dismissed lawsuit between Warner Brothers and Threshold Entertainment.
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