The upcoming new series of Mortal Kombat webisodes is getting an unusual level of attention: perhaps something to do with the ten million hits that the original online short racked up last year, coupled with the idea that Warners are testing the water for a potential new movie. We already knew that Michael Jai White would be reprising his role from the short as Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs, and Warners have now confirmed that he'll be joined for further Mortal Kombat by Jeri Ryan and Darren Shahlavi.
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth was a bold reimagining of the MK universe: ditching fantastical elements like Outworld and pitching Jax (White) as a police captain and Sonya (Ryan, best known as Star Trek: Voyager's statuesque Seven of Nine) as his partner, in a Gotham-like Deacon City where bizarre villains are running rampant.
The new series will expand on that intriguing ten minutes, introducing Shahlavi (300) as villain Kano, and providing new back stories for series icons like Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero and Scorpion. As before, the writer/director is Kevin Tancharoen (Fame), who says, "It's extremely gratifying to have such talented actors playing these iconic roles. They will bring the essence of Mortal Kombat to life." And, we hope, to gory fatality.
The series is currently shooting in Vancouver, and debuts online in the spring.