Comic-Con 2013: Mortal Kombat Legacy
Back in 2011, fans of the popular video game series Mortal Kombat were treated to a brand new way of experiencing the series and various characters through the means of a pretty solid web series (which I covered HERE). Mortal Kombat Legacy was a much grittier portrayal of the world of Mortal Kombat, with an emphasis on applying a real world quality to the series, despite involving fantastical elements, such as the god of thunder, Raiden. Regardless, the web series was a hit at the time, but has only slowly leaked out information regarding the new season. Well, there was a panel at San Diego Comic Con this year, which was a great way to reintroduce audiences to the series. While a trailer was released a few months ago, fans got a new look at this upcoming season, as well as some information in regards to how things are going to change for the better. Continue on to learn more about this panel, check out some photos, and take a look at the latest trailer.
Here is the official panel description:
Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Brian Tee (The Wolverine), Ian Anthony Dale (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), Samantha Jo (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), and Ed Boon (creator of Mortal Kombat) join series creator and director Kevin Tancharoen (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), producer Lance Sloane (Mortal Kombat: Legacy/Act of Valor), and Machinima’s executive vice president of network programming Aaron DeBevoise for an in-depth discussion about the highly anticipated second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, set to premiere exclusively on Machinima, the number one global video entertainment brand for young males. Moderated by Matt Atchity, editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes.com, don’t miss your chance to see exclusive, never-before-seen footage and hear from cast members about the second season of the groundbreaking show that has been called one of the most successful web series of all time.
As the panel began, everyone was happy to take their seats and explain their roles in this upcoming season. The biggest changes as far as casting goes is Johnny Cage, who is now being played by Johnny Rico himself, Casper Van Dien. Van Dien was certainly happy to be at Comic Con, as he very much lives up to his status as a C-list actor in the best way possible. Much like the character of Johnny Cage, Van Dien may not be the most popular actor in the world, but he knows how to help audiences have a great time during a panel. Even with not much of a voice to use (I believe he must have recently been sick), Van Dien was still having a blast on stage, making the crowd laugh with his various sunglasses, calling back to the Johnny Cage we saw in the original Mortal Kombat film.
Getting to the rest of the panel and things that really matter (not that a live-action Johnny Cage wasn’t fun enough), series creator and director Kevin Tancharoen went into details regarding where the upcoming season is headed. First off, this season will pick up with the characters in the actual tournament. As opposed to last season, which simply introduced many of the characters in their element, this season will focus on the various characters actually going into combat with each other. This will lead to a lot more action and actual fatalities on display. Given that each episode of this web series only lasts several minutes, I can only imagine how action-packed each episode will be.
Tancharoen also pointed out what was learned during the making of Season 1, which would go on to effect the production of Season 2. Given that the series would arrive on YouTube and have instant feedback from fans every week, it was easy and interesting to see where he could steer the episodes in order to make them more entertaining, coherent, and/or better received. With this second season, the big help was having more time to think each episode out, bring on more rehearsal time for the fights, and figure out a solid direction for the series to go. The increased budget certainly did not hurt either. Tancharoen was basically able to sum up his thoughts by joking that he “wanted it to be better than the second movie.”
Along with the trailer for the season, the audience was also treated to some footage from an upcoming episode. The footage featured a fight between Johnny Cage, Kitana, and Mileena. We got to see all three in action, with Johnny Cage supplying a humorous take on his character (very fitting), while also showing that he has the action chops needed to stay in the fight. Still, he was upstaged by the fight going on between Kitana and Mileena. The two fought, showed off their signature moves, and things eventually escalated into a defeat by fatality. It was a pretty awesome site to behold as far as seeing live-action Mortal Kombat goes and it emphasizes the fact that this series is not being restricted by any ratings. The filmmakers are happy to show off the true violent spirit of the franchise.
One last note: Ed Boon was on the panel. It was cool to see the creator of Mortal Kombat up on stage with the crew that is indebted to him. He clearly still has a passion for the series and was happy to also be seeing these characters be represented in a well thought out way. It does not hurt that the guy is responsible for Scorpion’s voice in the original game and was happy to shout “get over here!” on stage.
No official word yet on when the second season will be hitting the web, but there are 10 episodes coming sometime in the near future (this fall, I suspect).
Check out the Mortal Kombat Legacy: Season 2 trailer here:
Check out pictures from the panel below:
Keep checking in with Why So Blu for Comic Con updates and more!
Aaron is a writer/reviewer for WhySoBlu.com. Follow him on Twitter @AaronsPS3.
He also co-hosts a podcast, Out Now with Aaron and Abe, available via iTunes or at HHWLOD.com.
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