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All Articles: Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Shang Tsung) said filming on Mortal Kombat: Legacy 3 is already complete
It has (maybe) begun (filming)!
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa might not be a household name, but he is very familiar to fans of Mortal Kombat, as Tagawa memorably portrayed the sinister Shang Tusng in both 1995’s Mortal Kombat and the second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Recently, the veteran actor sat down with The AV Club to discuss his entire career as part of their popular “Random Roles” series.
Tagawa was thrilled to discuss his involvement in Mortal Kombat with interviewer Will Harris, especially his delight at being able to go completely over-the-top with Shang Tsung: “[I]t turned out to be a real film highlight for a lot of kids who are now 35.” As one of those aforementioned kids, I was extremely happy when Tagawa also said that Mortal Kombat: Legacy 3 is a go… and he’ll be reprising his role as Shang Tsung… and that filming is already complete:
But, anyway, I was in [Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2], and I just finished the third, and… I think it just gives me an opportunity to refresh it for this new generation. And the game keeps getting bigger, so I think it’ll go on. It’s definitely a huge part of my career. But so are so many of these films I’ve been in. I’ve been in a lot of cult movies, but I’ve been very fortunate to have been involved in projects that people remember.
Though Tagawa calls it “the third” series, it’s possible that the next Mortal Kombat webseries won’t be released under the Legacy banner at all. Last year, WB Games announced that Mortal Kombat X would be adapted as a live-action series known as Mortal Kombat X: Generations, so it’s possible this announcement is related to that. We’ve contacted WB Games for comment, and hopefully they’ll be able to fill in the blanks with some flawless information.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Warner Bros. is creating a Mortal Kombat X tie-in web series
It’s unlikely we’ll ever get to see Mortal Kombat: Legacy III now that Kevin Tancharoen has departed the web series that became an Internet sensation after the director publicly released a proof-of-concept short by accident. But Warner Bros. is picking up the slack with the creation of a new Direct-To-Internet production house, Blue Ribbon Content.
Blue Ribbon’s first project will be a live-action web series that ties in to the story of the upcoming Mortal Kombat X. Like the game, it will pick up after the events of 2011’s Mortal Kombat and “[showcase] some of the franchise’s most storied characters, [as well as] introducing a new generation of fighters.” As of now, Warner Bros. isn’t ready to reveal who they have in mind for the cast or the director’s chair.
Mortal Kombat X will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on April 14, 2015. Presumably, this new web series will be released in a similar timeframe.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Kevin Tancharoen is trying to get Mortal Kombat: Legacy Season 3 made
Director Kevin Tancharoen has already helmed two seasons worth of webisodes in his live-action Mortal Kombat adaptation, Mortal Kombat: Legacy. But it sounds like he’s warming, some might say getting toasty, to the idea of a third season.
After finishing up Season 2, Tancharoen said that he wasn’t interested in resuming his spot in the director’s chair for a third season. He would later drop out of WB’s third Mortal Kombat feature film as well. Tancharoen’s next move was actually another webseries for Machinima, The Gable 5, starring Eliza Dushku. It’s unknown if we’ll get more than the one episode, but it is another spectacular short film. But if the director has his way, his next project will be Legacy‘s third season. Speaking to Inquisitr, he said:
“We are starting to talk about it [Legacy Season 3] literally this week (knock on wood). I’m starting to talk to Warner Bros. and the video game creators, so hopefully we can see it through.”
He would go on to say that he believes there are still many more stories to tell in the Legacy universe:
“With Legacy Season 1, it was kind of a big experiment. No one has done it before, and we didn’t know if should be an anthology or connected. We did the first one as an anthology and the second one more serialized. In the future, it will definitely be more connected and more cohesive… We all feel right now that we have such a trajectory to the series. There are so many more stories to tell in that format.”
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Watch all ten episodes of Mortal Kombat: Legacy II right now
When Mortal Kombat: Legacy was lighting up web browsers everywhere in the run-up to Mortal Kombat‘s launch, new episodes were doled out on a weekly schedule. And the final episode was subjected to a multi-month delay and we didn’t get to see it until the Summer.
That is definitely not the case when it comes to Mortal Kombat: Legacy II.
Today, director Kevin Tancharoen and Warner Digital uploaded every episode of the adaptation’s second season. So you can watch the first episode (which we’ve embedded above) and let it sink in or you can watch the whole thing in one sitting at Machinima’s YouTube Channel.
Hooray for binge viewing!
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Mortal Kombat: Legacy II will begin on September 26
After missing its promised Spring 2013 release date, the first episode of Kevin Tancharoen’s Mortal Kombat: Legacy II will be available to watch through Machinima’s YouTube Channel on September 26.
The second season of the popular webseries has moved beyond the origin stories of Mortal Kombat: Legacy and into the tournament itself. If this trailer is any indication, the new season will be bigger and bolder than the one that came before.
And seeing Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprise his role as Shang Tsung and repeat his most famous line (“It has begun!”) just about made my day.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Get Over Here! Watch the Mortal Kombat: Legacy season two trailer now!
“It has begun!”
Machinima has released the first trailer for the long-awaited second season of Kevin Tancharoen’s Mortal Kombat: Legacy. The two-minute preview introduces us to many of this season’s characters including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Liu Kang, Ermac, Stryker, Kitana, Mileena, Kenshi, and many others. And it’s good to see Cary Tagawa again. The Mortal Kombat movie alum will reprise his role as the villainous Shang Tsung in Legacy and, even though it’s been almost 20 years, it looks like he hasn’t lost a step.
Season two of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is “Koming Soon,” but definitely not soon enough.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2 gets over here in Spring 2013
Warner Bros., Machinima, director Kevin Tancharoen, and NetherRealm Studios have announced that the second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy will debut on Machinima’s YouTube channel next Spring.
Tancharoen wants to make “Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2” bigger in every way and has recruited some interesting new actors to take on some of Mortal Kombat‘s most iconic characters. Casper Van Dien (of Starship Troopers fame) will take over the role of Johnny Cage while Mark Dacascos (from Double Dragon) will wear the razor-rimmed hat of Kung Lao. Best of all, Cary Tagawa will reprise his role from the first Mortal Kombat movie as Shang Tsung. Other additions to the cast for Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2 include Brian Tee as Liu Kang and Harry Shum, Jr. as the original character Kuai Liang. Kuai Liang is the canon name of Sub-Zero’s younger brother, but the name will belong to a “warlord advisor” in the webseries sequel.
Ian Anthony Dale has been asked to play Scorpion once again. He’ll be joined by the unnamed actors and actresses who will bring life to Ermac, Mileena, Kitana, Kenshi, and Stryker in season two. Stryker was famously played by Battlestar Galactica alum Tahmoh Penikett in season one, but it’s currently unknown if he’ll return for another round.
The first clip from Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2 will premiere during the Streamy Awards, which will be held on February 17.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Mortal Kombat: Legacy returning for a second season
Writer/Director Kevin Tancharoen has revealed that a second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is in the works courtesy of the (slightly dorky) video above. OK, “slightly dorky” might be an understatement, but I have to admit, I loved it.
According to Tancharoen, the scripts have been completed and season two will be “all about the tournament.” There will also be “more fighting, more action, and more visual effects.”
There’s no word on how many episodes will be produced or when they’ll debut, but Tancharoen did provide a complete list of kombatants that’ll be making an appearance in season two: Kano, Liu Kang, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Jax, Baraka, Stryker, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Ermac, and Kenshi. Flawless scripting!
It’s currently unknown if some of season one’s more high-profile participants, including Michael Jai White as Jax, Jeri Ryan as Sonya, and Tahmoh Penikett as Stryker, will return in season two.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Comic-Con 2012, Mortal Kombat: Legacy