“Mortal Kombat: Legacy” director Kevin Tancharoen who directed the Mortal Kombat web series for Warner Bros has been given the opportunity to direct the featured film for New Line Cinema. Tancharoen recently spoke to EW and said the new movie will offer a much more realistic and brutal take on the MK characters we’ve all known and loved.

Here’s what Tancharoen had to say about the new film:

Up to this point, we’ve only been talking ‘rated R,’ I like realistic takes on things, I like it when it’s a little darker and grittier. And I want the martial arts to feel real as opposed to balletic and super-choreographed. It needs to feel brutal, because that’s the nature of the video game itself.

Toby Emmerich, president of New Line added,

I remembered the old films, which I don’t think left people hungry for more. But when you look at how well the game was doing and you look at what Kevin did with it just on his own, you don’t have to squint too hard to see how it might make a good movie.

I can’t say how excited I am knowing that a mature “R” rated MK movie is now in the works. I loved the original viral trailer made by Tancharoen but not the watered down series as much. Hopefully he can return to the former and show us the potential in video game adaptations.

Because the film is in early production, not much else is known and no release date has been set. LA Times however, does think that the release of the new MK movie will coincide with the release of the next MK game. Date also unknown.

Source: EW, LA Times