Mortal Kombat: Rebirth

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
Directed by	Kevin Tancharoen
Written by	Kevin Tancharoen; Oren Uziel ;
Based on	Mortal Kombat ; by Ed Boon ; John Tobias ;
Produced by	Kevin Tancharoen; James McQuaide; Scott Martin; Laura Kasek;
Starring	Michael Jai White ; Jeri Ryan ; Matt Mullins ; Lateef Crowder ; Ian Anthony Dale ; Richard Dorton; James Lew ;
Cinematography	Scott Kevan
Edited by	Kevin Tanchaoren
Release date	June 8, 2010;
Running time	8 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Last updated June 13, 2024

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth is a 2010 American short fan film directed by Kevin Tancharoen, with fight choreography by Larnell Stovall. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the short-film "actually was made by the director to sell Warner Bros. Entertainment on his vision for a reimagined Mortal Kombat film."^[1] The pitch eventually evolved into the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy .

The short-film features an alternative version of the Mortal Kombat universe. The characters of the game are portrayed with vastly different origins, based on realism. There is no mention of Outworld or any other supernatural elements, although the tournament itself is a main part of the storyline in this short. Tancharoen himself has noted that he wouldn't shy away from supernatural elements entirely, but they have to be "done in a very tasteful way".^[2]

Plot

Deacon City Police Captain Jackson Briggs informs the assassin Hanzo Hasashi about the criminals Reptile and Baraka; the latter has recently killed actor-turned-undercover-officer Johnny Cage in a fight. Briggs believes they were both working for a man named Shang Tsung. He asks Hasashi to kill them in a mysterious tournament hosted by Tsung. When offered his freedom in exchange for accomplishing such tasks, Hasashi reveals that he willingly had himself incarcerated—and could free himself at any time. Then Sonya Blade arrives with a folder and informs Hasashi that his enemy Sub-Zero is alive and the one he killed was his brother. It becomes clear to Hasashi that the terms of his participation in the tournament involve killing Reptile, Baraka and Shang Tsung in return for access to Sub-Zero. Since the real Sub-Zero will be at the tournament, Hasashi, now calling himself Scorpion, agrees to participate.

Cast

Michael Jai White as Jackson Briggs, a captain in the Deacon City Police Department. On his office door at the beginning of the film, the last two letters of his first name are faded, thus reading as "Jacks", a nod to "Jax". IGN contacted Jai White's representatives and asked about the video, and they answered White believed the shoot was a marketing component for the next Mortal Kombat game.
Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade, Jackson Briggs's partner. Ryan said she took the part as a favor to a friend.^[3]
Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage, a former movie star that became an undercover agent after his Hollywood career died. In a short flashback, he is killed by Baraka. When asked about how he got involved in the project, Mullins said: "I had known Kevin [Tancharoen] for about five years, but I never had a chance to work with him. A few months ago I got a call from Kevin about being involved in a short that he was planning to shoot. He sent me the script and I was blown away. When I sat down to meet with him, and he explained his vision, I was so excited to be involved and could not wait to start."^[4]
Lateef Crowder as Alan Zane / Baraka, a plastic surgeon who, after accidentally killing a patient, went on to kill two dozen more. Faced with the shame of being labeled a failed doctor, Zane pierced his face, sharpened his teeth, and surgically attached a pair of metal blades to his forearms. In a short flashback, he fights Johnny Cage, finally killing him with his arm blades.
Ian Anthony Dale as Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion, the top assassin of the Shirai Ryu who offered himself up to the police for killing the man he thought was his nemesis. In keeping with the video game series, his eyes are completely white and his signature spear weapon also appears. His trademark battle-cry "Get over here!" can also be heard at the ending.
Richard Dorton as Reptile, a mass-murderer born with a rare genetic disorder, Harlequin-type ichthyosis, in which his skin produces too many cells and his eyelids are formed inside out. It is said that he likes to devour the heads of his victims, which is a nod to his "Head Eat" Fatality from the video game series.
James Lew as Shang Tsung who is seen in the photograph.^[5]

Production

Development

Initially appearing on YouTube, the video was received with confusion by websites such as IGN and 1UP.com , both of which were uncertain if the video was a viral marketing ploy to promote either a new film or a video game. Contradicting reports came from the actors involved, with White's representatives believing it was an advertisement for then upcoming 2011 Mortal Kombat game,^[6] while Ryan admitted her appearance was as a favor to a friend and described the video as a pitch for a film.^[7]^[8]

Kevin Tancharoen, the director of the short film, spent about $7,500 to produce it, and took two months to produce everything. Filming took place in April 2010 over a period of two days, using borrowed cameras. Actor Matt Mullins already knew the director, but had not had an opportunity to work with him. A few months before filming Tancharoen called him, inviting him to participate in a short film he was planning to shoot. The script was sent to Mullins who, impressed with the text and the director's vision for the franchise, agreed to participate as Johnny Cage.^[2]^[8]^[9] Tancharoen himself has admitted that the film was never meant to be seen public, he merely wanted to use it as a pitch to Warner Bros, but when uploading it to YouTube, he accidentally published it to the public.^[10]

Series co-creator Ed Boon himself has noted that the film was "awesome"^[11] and had "no idea it was being made",^[12] though he did opine that it "probably crosses the line" as far as "re-imagining" goes.^[13] He later stated that he thought it was "incredibly well done" and that it was "a legitimate alternate universe Mortal Kombat".^[14]

Larnell Stovall, besides being responsible for the choreography of all the fights, was also responsible for presenting Michael Jai White to the project.^[15] Jeri Ryan, when asked about her role in the film, said she agreed to do it as a favor to a friend.^[16]

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References

↑ "UPDATE: What is Mortal Kombat: Rebirth?". ComingSoon. 2011-06-09. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
1 2 Weintraub, Steve (2010-06-09). "Interview with MORTAL KOMBAT: REBIRTH Director Kevin Tancharoen; Talks About What He Wants to do in a Feature Version!". Collider.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
↑ "Mortal Kombat Trailer is Director's Pitch for MK Film". 1UP. 2010-06-09. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
↑ Gutierrez, Yaris. "CraveOnline". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
↑ "Original Mortal Kombat:Rebirth YouTube video upload source". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2010-06-09.
↑ Pirrello, Phil. "Best. Mortal Kombat Movie. Ever?". IGN . IGN Entertainment . Retrieved 2010-06-10.
↑ Pigna, Kris (2010-06-09). "Mortal Kombat Trailer is Director's Pitch for MK Film". 1UP.com . UGO Networks. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
1 2 Weintraub, Steve (June 9, 2010). "Interview with MORTAL KOMBAT: REBIRTH Director Kevin Tancharoen; Talks About What He Wants to do in a Feature Version!". Collider. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
↑ Massoud, Justin (June 11, 2010). "'Mortal Kombat: Rebirth' Star Michael Jai White in an Exclusive Interview". Asylum. Archived from the original on 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
↑ "'Mortal Kombat' viral video was an accident, says director". The Independent. 2 February 2011.
↑ noobde (2010-06-10). "Twitter / noobde: A million people asked me". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
↑ noobde (2010-06-10). "Twitter / noobde: But I was just as surprise". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
↑ noobde (2010-06-10). "Twitter / noobde: Its TOTALLY different & pr". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
↑ Graft, Kris (2010-08-04). "Back To Basics With Mortal Kombat". Gamasutra. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
↑ Vejvoda, Jim (June 14, 2011). "Exclusive Chat With MK: Jax's Rebirth". IGN. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
↑ Pigna, Kris (June 9, 2010). "Mortal Kombat Trailer is Director's Pitch for MK Film". 1UP. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2010.

External links

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth at IMDb

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[1] "UPDATE: What is Mortal Kombat: Rebirth?". ComingSoon. 2011-06-09. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2011-03-05.

[collider-2] 1 2 Weintraub, Steve (2010-06-09). "Interview with MORTAL KOMBAT: REBIRTH Director Kevin Tancharoen; Talks About What He Wants to do in a Feature Version!". Collider.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2010-09-10.

[3] "Mortal Kombat Trailer is Director's Pitch for MK Film". 1UP. 2010-06-09. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2011-03-05.

[4] Gutierrez, Yaris. "CraveOnline". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2011-03-05.

[5] "Original Mortal Kombat:Rebirth YouTube video upload source". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2010-06-09.

[6] Pirrello, Phil. "Best. Mortal Kombat Movie. Ever?". IGN . IGN Entertainment . Retrieved 2010-06-10.

[7] Pigna, Kris (2010-06-09). "Mortal Kombat Trailer is Director's Pitch for MK Film". 1UP.com . UGO Networks. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2010-06-10.

[Entrevista-8] 1 2 Weintraub, Steve (June 9, 2010). "Interview with MORTAL KOMBAT: REBIRTH Director Kevin Tancharoen; Talks About What He Wants to do in a Feature Version!". Collider. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2010-11-15.

[asylum-9] Massoud, Justin (June 11, 2010). "'Mortal Kombat: Rebirth' Star Michael Jai White in an Exclusive Interview". Asylum. Archived from the original on 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2012-03-15.

[10] "'Mortal Kombat' viral video was an accident, says director". The Independent. 2 February 2011.

[11] (2010-06-10). "Twitter / noobde: A million people asked me". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.

[12] (2010-06-10). "Twitter / noobde: But I was just as surprise". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.

[13] (2010-06-10). "Twitter / noobde: Its TOTALLY different & pr". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.

[Gamasutra_Interview_page3-14] Graft, Kris (2010-08-04). "Back To Basics With Mortal Kombat". Gamasutra. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-08-06.

[ign1-15] Vejvoda, Jim (June 14, 2011). "Exclusive Chat With MK: Jax's Rebirth". IGN. Retrieved January 23, 2011.

[1up-16] Pigna, Kris (June 9, 2010). "Mortal Kombat Trailer is Director's Pitch for MK Film". 1UP. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2010.

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