Lead actors Mark Dacascos and Brian Tee will not be reprising their Mortal Kombat: Legacy II roles as Kung Lao & Liu Kang. Dacascos confirmed the departures via Twitter, sharing his upbeat hopes for incoming director Garrett Warren, "... Garrett and team will make it amazing."
@KitanaMKnews Ah, understood. I am disappointed that @brian_tee and I don't get to help Liu Kang and Kung Lao "finish it," but maybe later.
Despite not being under the razor-tipped hat, Mark Dacascos will still have a spiritual presence in the 2015 serial: Last September, he and Van Dien posted photos from a shared training session.
NetherRealm Studios' tournament streak continues with the announcement of the 2015 Evo World Championship line-up!
For a fifth straight year; the developer will be represented in the main championship field, debuting Mortal Kombat X a mere three months after its release to home consoles, on April 14th.
The annual announcement was made live by Evo founder Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar, Wednesday (January 21), via stream from the Twitch headquarters in San Franchisco. The stream [archive below] saw the return of Capcom standard bearers Street Fighter & Marvel vs Capcom, another year of US Xbox exclusive rival Killer Instinct, and the return of Tekken (arcade) after its shock omission from last year's announcement.
NetherRealm's DC Comics fighting game: Injustice: Gods Among Us will not return. The 2012 fighter ousted Mortal Kombat from last year's line-up, having debuted a year prior with the same 3 month release-to-tournament window as Mortal Kombat X, this year.
Speaking to Mortal Kombat Online, 2013 Evo World Champion Denzell "DJT" Terry said, "Even though I kind of felt that MKX was a shoe-in for EVO, because it is a new game, the announcement still made me hype!! I was like, 'Yes!!!!! Yes!!! Yes!!!'"
The champ confirmed he will contest the first World Championship for Mortal Kombat X, aiming for nothing less than a Top 8 finish and supreme championship bragging rights. "I want to be on that big stage." Mortal Kombat missed the big stage, last year, but DJT was philosophical about the omission, "I wish [MK2011] could've been a main game last year, but we just [didn't] have the numbers, unfortunately."
A side tournament organized by Brant McCaskill (Pighut) and sponsored by Mortal Kombat Online still managed to attract attendance and streaming audiences to rival main events on the bill. " It was still a hype side tourney, for sure."
Evo 2015 will attract an ever-growing gamer presence to Las Vegas when it all goes down July 17-19! We want to hear from more tournament fans! Register to share your thoughts, predictions and more on the forum!
The next chapter in the live-action legacy of Mortal Kombat is officially under way! New webseries director Garrett Warren had the support of out-going director Kevin Tancharoen on day one, sharing a snapshot with confirmed return Casper Van Dien:
The new project, announced October for Blue Ribbon Content, has been surrounded by rumour and uncertainty. Warren himself has played coy with social media fans, sharing and deleting occasional moments from pre-production. Unverified rumors have him revealing the new series' title as Mortal Kombat X: Generations, supporting an alleged LA casting call, which links the series to the April fighting game, and its comic book tie-in.
Van Dien, who joined Legacy II as perennial favourite Johnny Cage, was the first to confirm his reprised role, following up on training last June. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa will also return, marking the 20th anniversary of the first time he played Shang Tsung on screen!
Regrettably, first series star Darren Shahlavi will not return as Kano. News of the actor's shock passing at 42 broke yesterday.
Mortal Kombat Online is shocked and saddened to report the passing of actor Darren Shahlavi.
An accomplished star of film and television; Shahlavi will be best known to readers as Kano in episodes of Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
Variety reports confirmation of the actor's death, age 42, via his agent. Shahlavi passed in his sleep of an undisclosed cause, last Wednesday (January 14). TMZ note authorities suspect an overdose of prescription medication.
Update: Following findings by the Los Angeles County Department Coroner in April; Vancouver based journalist Sabrina Furminger reported for The Westender: "Darren died of “a sudden and fatal heart attack,” his family wrote in a statement. “He was found to have Atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease or ASVD). His left anterior descending artery was 95% blocked, which must have been worsening for several years.” There's also this important clarification: “Darren had no drugs or medications in his body, and only 0.02% BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration); to put this into context 0.08% is the BAC Driving Limit for both the US & UK. There are no other medical factors linked to his death.” Shahlavi lived in Vancouver - where Mortal Kombat was filmed - for thirteen years.
The Action Elite shared the following Facebook tribute, posted by Bobby Shahlavi:
It is with immense sadness we have to inform you all of the news of the death of our dearest Darren Shahlavi. Darren dared to dream and was brave enough to follow his dreams and make them a reality. He wanted to be a movie star! Sounds crazy right? But he made it happen. He fulfilled so many of his career ambitions and acted along side and met many of his childhood heroes and screen legends including Donnie Yen, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sammo Hung, Robin Williams & George Clooney to name just a few. He was a kind, honest and decent human being. You will be missed my dear Darren, by family, friends, colleagues and many fans. You are a legend and a legend never dies. Your films and your legacy will live on forever and you will always remain in our hearts. We are all so proud of you and you will continue to inspire us all for generations. Sleep well Darren and keep on dreaming. Love you always… Your family X
Shahlavi was all the right things: talented, dedicated and sincere. His passion for martial arts cinema was deeply rooted, as was his personal attitude. Positive experiences with the actor don't seem to be in short supply. When I interviewed him for Mortal Kombat Online in 2011, he was friendly, approachable, and interested. He kept track of the interview's publication. When I had catastrophic computer problems, he even volunteered assistance, without ever being asked. The quintessential good bloke.
We discussed his early interest, "I started Judo when I was seven years old, and once I saw Bruce Lee, I was hooked on martial arts and films." His fandom for the 1995 Mortal Kombat feature film and its soundtrack, the influence it had on his depiction of Kano in Legacy, and his near miss with the '97 sequel. Still a fan, he even discussed striving to improve upon the fight scenes of Legacy.
His down to earth attitude was a contrast to some of the screen villains he will be remembered for. His Kano had the cocky, rogueish swagger the character deserved. His role as Twister Milos in 2010 Donnie Yen film Ip Man 2 will go down as one of the all-time great fight movie villains. In recent years, his work continued to flourish in starring roles and mainstream franchises (eg; Arrow). Most recently, he was cast opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in the reboot to 1989 JCVD favourite, Kickboxer. His presence will be sorely missed.
If you've ever been compelled to ask the question, "How do I play Mortal Kombat...?" Wonder no more! Series co-creator John Tobias shared page one of the arcade manual which vividly explains the expectations of the original Mortal Kombat unit.
Now more than twenty years later - Mortal Kombat will release its tenth core instalment this April! Mortal Kombat Online talked to Tobias about his role in creating the enduring franchise. Read more in Part 1 & Part 2.
Nostalgic for the good ol' days of sprites and manuals? Register to follow all the retro news and fan posts in the 2D Kombat Klassics forum!
