In light of a Wyatt Earp story followed by a Mortal Kombat story, I thought this video was relevant.

That’s right, Mortal Kombat, which first came to theaters in 1995 with Paul WS Anderson directing (he of the floating zeppelin pirate ships), is coming back, and it’s all Michael Jai White’s fault. That’s because the buff ball of ass-kicking and charisma starred as Jax in an eight-minute internet short called Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (embedded below). It was director Kevin Tancharoen (who also directed the Glee 3D Concert Movie, strangely)’s attempt to prove that he could direct a new version of the movie. Warner Premiere ordered 10 episodes for a web series, and now New Line has hired Tancharoen and his writer, Oren Uziel, to make a movie, so it looks like it worked.

Tancharoen’s effort created enough of a demand when it leaked online that the studio’s digital division, Warner Premiere, made a deal with him to generate a 10-episode Web series. Those episodes began airing on YouTube in April 2011. New Line then went to Tancharoen and Uziel and put together the movie.The studio is keeping the plot under wraps. Uziel wrote The Kitchen Sink, a mashup of vampires, zombies and aliens that made the Black List and sold to Sony Pictures and producer Matt Tolmach. [Deadline]

You can watch the original short after the jump. The fight scenes are decent, but other than that it’s pretty dumb and kind of gross. But it has lots of slow motion, which makes it seem important.

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Black Dynamite doesn't do board shorts, bitch

Anyone who’s seen Black Dynamite knows that Michael Jai White has the potential to be the next great action star.  I’m still hoping it’ll happen, but in the meantime, the road from Tyler Perry bit player to A-List stardom apparently leads through the sequel to a movie about high school MMA fightin’.  Never Back Down was 21 Jump Street meets MMA, with Cam Gigandet playing the dog-faced gremlin role first popularized by Richard Grieco.  It also starred Sean Faris as Jake Tyler, “a tough kid who leads with his fists, and often, his heart,” which frankly, seemed difficult from a biological/logistical standpoint.

Clearly, this concept of The OC with rear naked chokes needed a sequel, and who better to direct it than Michael Jai White, making his debut?  Never Back Down 2 (NOW WITH EVEN LESS BACKING DOWN!) moves the fighters from high school to college, losing Sean Faris in the process (who, as we all know, only recommends “the college of life”).  A rough cut of Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, played ActionFest over the weekend, and here’s what people had to say:

Cast predominantly with MMA fighters, Never Back Down II, has a story involving four guys from different background brought together under the tutelage of a retired (but still in his prime) sensei Case to battle for $10K and glory in an underground college MMA tourney, The Beatdown, ran by a hyper Zuckerberg-esque college kid. It is a tale of male-bonding and school-yard posturing and cheap, meaningless over-stylized sex that pops up on occasion. [sounds like my Friday nights]

There is hot-headed wrestler Mike who is dealing with his dad leaving him and his mother for another man.  As if there isn’t enough homoeroticism of sweaty men showering together and grabbling on vinyl or rubber. [Twitch]

Well sure, I always do my grabbling on rubber. That’s the only safe way to do it.  What’s grabbling, you ask?  Why it’s like grappling, but grabbier.

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Today, I bring you “Michael Jai White is a Badass, Volume 73.”  In today’s installment, we catch up with Black Dynamite on the set of Blood and Bone (Michal Jai White is… ISAIAH BONE).  Here, White, who holds black belts in seven different forms of karate and has two bullet wounds, teaches Kimbo Slice an “unblockable punch.”  (He would’ve been better off teaching him an unkickable leg, but I digress).  Keep in mind, Michael Jai White is an actor and Kimbo Slice is a professional fighter (not necessarily a particularly good one, but still).  And Kimbo seems genuinely interested in hearing the advice (“but will Kimbo Slice ever truly be at ress?”).  This could only happen with badass of Michael Jai White’s caliber. Imagine any other actor trying that.  Cam Gigandet has been in a few martial arts movies too, I guarantee he couldn’t teach anyone to punch.  Hell, he gets punched himself, just for having a face that looks like that.

Apologies in advance for the he said/she said nature of this post, but when this video hit the web earlier today, it was reportedly for a Mortal Kombat video game.  Now people are saying it’s a trailer for a Mortal Kombat movie.  If you would’ve told me such a movie was happening back in January, I probably would’ve made a fart sound with my armpit.  But the trailer has won me over because it stars Michael Jai White, and Michael Jai White is big and black and knows karate.  (He’s also been shot twice, incidentally).

UPDATE 2: Cat’s out of the bag. This is for the movie, and it comes from the mind of genius fight choreographer Larnell Stovall. He’s the guy who did the fights for the excellent Undisputed 3: Redemption, on DVD and Blu-Ray right now. [CHUD]

Meanwhile, Drew from Hitfix adds that the director on this was Kevin Tancharoen, who directed the 2009 remake of Fame.  I must’ve missed that when I was busy not sucking c*ck.  Maybe it’s good? I dunno.  Anyway, it seems they’ve taken a “ridiculous-sound-effects” approach to this one, as opposed to the “Chris-Klein-gets-coked-up-and-does-a-David-Caruso-impression” approach favored by the makers of Street Fighter.  From what I’ve seen, I prefer this.  As I’ve said, Michael Jai White knows karate. I don’t know if black guys should be allowed to learn karate. It seems unfair.

The Plug: The commenting was fiercely competitive this week, as it should be when the prize is Black Dynamite on DVD. Black Dynamite hits stores February 16th, a date we FilmDrunkards have been eagerly anticipating for a long time.  I’m just sad I didn’t get quoted on the box.  Who’s this ‘Spike Lee’ guy, anyway?

The Winner: It was a tough choice as always, but this comment from Chareth Cutestory on Nick Nolte Went Dumpster Diving just made me smile.

Chareth Cutestory says:
[lid flies open]
Rip: “Yes?”
Nolte: “Have you seen my satchel?”
Rip: “Nope. *draws gun* But I’ll be taking that hat.”
Nolte: “Dag gum it, you ol’ huckleberry.”

Well done, Chareth.  Send me your address.  And now, the runners up:

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