MORTAL KOMBAT! New Life and New Line

Thanks to a merging of resources, Mortal Kombat might be getting ready to deal out a few fatalities on the big screen once again as Warner Bros seeks to prove that they can turn one of their hit games into a hit movie.

The original 1995 Mortal Kombat film will never be viewed as cinematic greatness but a $122 million box office gross did show that interest was there. The 1997 sequel didn’t do nearly as well. However, a great little short film, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, that was put together by Oren Uziel and Kevin Tancharoen, led to a kick-ass web series called Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and Warner Bros realized they might be sitting on a blockbuster.

Warner Bros bought Midway Games, the maker of Mortal Kombat, back in 2009 and released the ninth Mortal Kombat game in April. Now, Deadline brings word that the studio’s New Line Cinema label is teaming up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to bring out a new Mortal Kombat film in 2013. Since the movie and gaming divisions are now working hand-in-hand, they’re also planning to coordinate the release of the film with the release of the next Mortal Kombat game.

The absolute best part of the plan is that Uziel and Tancharoen are being brought on to write and direct the big screen production, which is only fair since they’re the ones that proved there was still some theatrical life left in the franchise.

One possible problem linked to a new Mortal Kombat movie was brought up by the LA Times blog. Warner Bros and producer Lawrence Kasanoff, who worked on the two previous films, have been duking it out in the courtrooms over royalties. Apparently, things have been squared away for years 2000 to 2004, but the fight continues over 2008 royalties and the ownership of the movie rights.

Still, people close to the situation have stated that both sides were close to a resolution and that it be would be okay to go forward with the project. Only time will tell if the potential for new success will re-ignite the fire of the legal battle.