by the fans for the fans

‘Mortal Kombat: Rebirth’ director Kevin Tancharoen has tweeted an image of an Outworld Tarkatan warrior. But is it fan-favorite kombatant Baraka?



When director Kevin Tancharoen let-loose a viral YouTube short film highlighting his vision for a Mortal Kombat reboot movie, the response from fans was overwhelmingly positive. It wasn’t long before the filmmaker was signed by Warner Bros. to helm a Mortal Kombat franchise web series – with a strong possibility for a feature film to follow.

Just last week, fans got a first look at Tancharoen’s interpretation of ninja/assassin Scorpion and late last night, the director Tweeted out a photo of what appears to be fan-favorite Shao Kahn mercenary, Baraka.

As fans of the series know Baraka first appeared in Mortal Kombat II and quickly became an iconic franchise character – due to his brutal moves list and creepy appearance. In the mythos, the character is the leader of the Tarkatan horde – a series of mutant mercenaries who work for Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn. While some characters in the Mortal Kombat universe waffle between the forces of good and evil – Baraka has universally aligned himself with one series antagonist after another.

Check out the potential Baraka first-look image below:



It’s unclear, assuming the photograph is of Baraka (not just a fellow Tarkatan brother), whether the interpretation of the character in the web series will be closer to the video-game or Tancharoen’s redesigned concept in the Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short film – which featured Baraka as a crazed plastic surgeon turned serial killer, Dr. Alan Zane, who mutilated his face and attached blades to his forearms.

If the image is of the actual Baraka character, it would appear that Tancharoen has toned down some of the more imaginative liberties in Rebirth, consider this version of Baraka sports the traditional looking arm blades – not the segmented ones Dr. Zane surgically implants in the proof-of-concept short film. That said, the Baraka-like figure in the image is still missing one iconic element from the traditional Mortal Kombat mythos – the elongated, and grotesque, Tarkatan teeth featured on both Baraka and half-human clone Mileena.





Dr. Zane (Code Name: Baraka) In Mortal Kombat Rebirth

UPDATE: Who are the two female combatants in this latest photo? Could we be seeing the famous Milleena vs. Kitana rivalry?



Given what appears to be a turn toward a more traditional, and less real-world, interpretation, it’ll be interesting to see whether Tancharoen’s other ideas – including Reptile as a 30 year-old cannibal with Harlequin Ichthyosis (not a Raptor warrior) – make it into the web series.

Keep checking back for our continued coverage of the Mortal Kombat web series here at Screen Rant – as well as our sister site, Game Rant for information on the highly-anticipated upcoming Mortal Kombat video game.

Follow us on Twitter @ iambenkendrick and @ screenrant and let us know what you think of Tancharoen’s Baraka design.

Mortal Kombat is currently shooting in Vancouver and is expected to premier in April.

SOMETIMES A FAN FILM GETS INTERESTED.



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Tancharoen

Tancharoen was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the brother of Maurissa Tancharoen and the son of Tommy Tancharoen.

He is known for being a choreographer for Madonna, directing Britney Spears' "The Onyx Hotel Tour", and co-creating DanceLife on MTV.

He made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the remake of the 1980 film Fame. In 2010, Tancharoen directed the short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth as a proof of concept for his vision of a new Mortal Kombat feature.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy - Ep. 1 (Brand new live action MK series!)


LOOKS LIKE THE FAN FILM SHORT WAS GREEN LIT FOR A TOTAL OF 9 WEB EPISODE BY WARNER BROTHERS.

screenrant.com/mortal-kombat-legacy-epis...online-rothc-110383/


Last year, a video entitled Mortal Kombat: Rebirth appeared on the web with little-to-no explanation. Fans of the game were intrigued by the trailer, but unsure of its origin and intent. Was it a viral marketing campaign for an upcoming game installation, or for a reboot of the film franchise? Shortly after its release, director Kevin Tancharoen (who was best known for helming the remake of Fame at the time) confessed that the short was his public pitch for a feature film that imagined the Mortal Kombat world with a grittier, more realistic tone.

The film was entirely self-made, on a relatively modest budget, and a whole cadre of favors. Many viewers responded with excitement to Kevin’s fresh, grounded, and raw approach. While some railed at the loss of the mystical world that the franchise had been famous for. Kevin assured fans that he intended to include mysticism in any feature he would develop, but in a tasteful way.

FIRST EPISODE IS SO SO. NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE FIGHTING MOVES OR I JUST EXPECTED MORE.

LETS SEE HOW THE STORY DEVELOPS.

Looks good... so far. Now we wait and see whether it goes downhill from here.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE TOURNAMENT. CHECK VIDEO OUT

Eps 2 & 3 of MK Legacy are available.

rtsurfer wrote:

Eps 2 & 3 of MK Legacy are available.

JUST SAW EP. 2. THAT JAX AND KANO FIGHT WAS GREAT. LITTLE FAKE IN SOME SHOTS BUT THE FIGHT SCENE WAS GOOD.

'Mortal Kombat' Video Game Headed Back to the Big Screen
New Line has hired Kevin Tancharoen to direct a new adaptation of the classic fighting game.


www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/mo...NKQ==?=&utm_content=


Mortal Kombat is heading back to the big-screen.

New Line is hiring the filmmakers of the popular Mortal Kombat digital series, made earlier this year by corporate sibling Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to take on a new adaptation of the classic 1990s fighting game.

PHOTOS: 10 Broadcast and Cable TV Shows Most Watched by Men

The movie deal marks the end of a journey for Kevin Tancharoen, who will direct the new film. Tancharoen, a choreographer for Madonna and Britney Spears who directed the 2009 remake of Fame and more recently the Glee concert movie, directed a short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth as a proof of concept for a Kombat movie he tried to pitch. A huge fan of the video game (and knowing Hollywood wouldn’t give him a shot at the title), he enlisted Oren Uziel to write the short and hired actors such as Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan.

The short was viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube, and although no movie deal materialized, he was asked to direct the 10-episode web series, which debuted in April, attracting more than 50 million unique visitors.

STORY: 'Fame' Director Helms New 'Mortal Kombat' Digital Series for Warner Premiere

Off that success, Warners and New Line execs thought it was time to try to revisit a big-screen effort. (New Line made a Mortal Kombat movie in 1995, which grossed more than $70 million domestically and helped launch a directing career for Paul W. S. Anderson. A follow-up movie in 1997, however, fizzled.)

Uziel is returning to write the new movie, which is still in the development stages. There is no actor attached and the new story will not serve as an extension of the game or digital series.

STORY: Freddy Krueger Joins 'Mortal Kombat'

Dave Neustadter and Walter Hamada are overseeing for New Line.