Almost immediately the stop motion model of graphics mixed with the accuracy of the fight sequences and the gore came under attack. Joe "Droopy Dog" Lieberman even went out of his way to create a hearing of video games and "violence and corruption in our society." Controversy, however, just seemed to make the game more popular.
In a decade, Mortal Kombat has grown to 18 additional titles including the original with a relaunch of the original title set to hit PS3 and XBox 360 later this year. This continuation has allowed MK to transform from an arcade game into an entertainment legacy which has spawned dozens of combatants and evolved from a 2D stop motion fighting simulator into a 3 dimensional bloodfest to be proud of.
The massive success of the game has also led to spinoffs in other entertainment markets, as well. Mortal Kombat the animated series which has included MK: The Journey Begins and MK: Defenders of the Realm. Two Mortal Kombat major motion pictures. A live action television series called Mortal Kombat: Conquest. And, of coarse, a series of books, comics books, and card games.
But a lot of the spin off media for the franchise seems to have been short lived. In the 90s, everywhere you turned there was something new getting the Mortal Kombat treatment. But since the new millennium it seems that the franchise has shrunk back down to just a video game series. This has left many scratching their heads wondering why, in a Hollywood of remakes and epic special effects, there has yet to be a Mortal Kombat reboot. Well, thanks to the internet, this could possibly be coming true.
In 2010, director Kevin Tancharoen (best known for music videos) teamed up with fight choreoographer Larnell Stovall and filmed a not-for-profit short film based on the franchise called Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. The idea was to make a more realistic and visceral version of the series, almost emulating the more realistic tone which some directors such as Chris Nolan have been creating in order bring comic book movies into the 21st century. With a cast of volunteers, Tancharoen was able to land Michael Jai White (Spawn, The Dark Knight, and Sucker Punch) to portray Captain Jackson Briggs, Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager and Boston Public) to portray Sonya Blade, Matt Mullins to portray Johnny Cage, Lateef Crowder (The Book of Eli) to portray Baraka, Ian Anthony Dale (Dollhouse) to portray Scorpion, Richard Dorton to portray Reptile, and James Lew (Lethal Weapon 4 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) to portray Shang Tsung.
The short film was made in the hopes that a major studio would see the reboot potential and run with it. However, no studio seemed interested in the short at the time. But, as is with all things in the digital age, the short film made it's way online and from there it grew into a phenomenon.
At first no one was quite sure of what to make of the short. Was it promotion for a new video game? Was it for a new television series? Was it for a new film? Curiosity fueled sites like IGN and 1UP.com to launch speculations which only drove the interest for this short even higher. By the time the truth about the shorts origins came out no one really cared. All anyone knew is that they wanted this short to be made full length. And Hollywood responded.
On January 24th, 2011 Warner Bros. officially announced that they would be investing in a 10 episode web based mini-series for Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. The series is set to be written by Kevin Tancharoen and Spartacus: Blood and Sand writers Todd Helbing and Aaron Helbing. Not much of the cast has been announced yet but Michael Jai White has already confirmed involvement in the web series with Jeri Ryan and her people being strangely tight lipped on the news of the web franchise. The rumor mill also has characters Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Sub Zero, Durak, Kabal, Kitana, Mileena, and Scorpion making an appearance.
It's unknown yet where Warner Bros. hopes to take this web based franchise. According to the dates which Warner's wants the webisodes online by it seems as though it coincides to help the marketing for the 2011 Mortal Kombat video game launch. But with online content becoming the preferred source of the up and coming generation, we could easily see MK: Rebirth turn into a massive hit series or eventually the rated R splatter film which we always wanted.
So, what brought on all this hype? Just take a look at the nearly 9 minute long YouTube trailer and see for yourself.
P.S. Ignore the gabby fast talking retard at the end.
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