"MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY" DIGITAL SERIES TO PREMIERE WORLDWIDE APRIL 12 ON MACHINIMA.COM

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED “MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY” DIGITAL SERIES TO PREMIERE WORLDWIDE APRIL 12 ON MACHINIMA.COM

FANS CAN WATCH ACTION-PACKED EPISODES OF THIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DIGITAL SERIES ON ONE OF YOUTUBE’S LARGEST ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS

BURBANK, CALIF., April 7, 2011 – Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Machinima.com today announced they have signed an agreement to premiere and distribute the highly anticipated “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” live action digital series produced by Warner Premiere.  Directed by Kevin Tancharoen (“Fame”), and starring Jeri Ryan (“Star Trek: Voyager”) as “Sonya Blade,” Michael Jai White (“The Dark Knight”) as “Major Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs” and Darren Shahlavi (“300”) as “Kano,” this series will take gamers deep into the history of the warriors they know and love. 

The first action-packed episode of “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” will debut April 12 exclusively on Machinima, the dominant entertainment network for videogamers on YouTube (www.youtube.com/machinima). Fans from around the world will be able to watch and engage with the entire “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” series through Machinima’s YouTube channel.

"With over 500 million monthly video views and 50 million monthly viewers, Machinima has the world’s most highly-engaged gaming audience, which makes this agreement with Warner Bros. such a great fit," said Allen DeBevoise, Chairman and CEO of Machinima, Inc. "Mortal Kombat is an epic franchise with a rich story and characters, we’re truly excited to bring 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy' to our community.  With our global scale and reach, we can now drive greater engagement and viewership than anyone for entertainment properties that fit our young, male-centric demo.  Kevin’s new incarnation of the Mortal Kombat franchise is precisely the type of world-class, high-octane action content that our audience will love.”

Kevin Tancharoen who directed and produced the popular, unofficial “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth” fan short, is bringing the same immersive directing style to this live-action digital series.  Kevin Tancharoen who directed and produced the popular, unofficial “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth” fan short, is bringing the same immersive directing style to this live-action digital series.  “Machinima is the perfect entertainment destination to premiere the series,” said Kevin Tancharoen, Director, Producer and co-writer of “Mortal Kombat: Legacy.”  “They have a massive audience of gamers from around the world.  We worked very closely with NetherRealm Studios and Ed Boon, and we’re now putting the finishing touches on the episodes.  I’m confident we’ve stayed true to the Mortal Kombat lore and am hoping the fans will be blown away by what they see.” 

Also on April 12, in a lead up to the series premiere, Machinima will host Kevin Tancharoen and cast from the series in a special live event.  Details will be announced on Machinima.com soon. 

Written by Kevin Tancharoen , Aaron Helbing  and Todd Helbing, “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” is an anthology of nine live action shorts, and brings to life the motivation behind each character’s participation in the Mortal Kombat tournament.  Each episode will provide never-before-revealed insights into characters featured in the upcoming videogame as well as the game’s universe. 

The latest iteration of the award-winning videogame, “Mortal Kombat," marks a triumphant return to the series’ mature presentation and a reinvention of its classic 2D fighting mechanic. Driven by an all new graphics engine, the fan favorite Fatality is back and presented in more gory detail than ever before. In addition, “Mortal Kombat” introduces a number of new game-play features including tag team and a deep story mode. “Mortal Kombat” is being developed by NetherRealm Studios, led by “Mortal Kombat” creator and creative director Ed Boon.

MORTAL KOMBAT and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
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About Machinima.com
Machinima.com is the dominant video entertainment network for serious gamers around the world.  The number one entertainment channel on YouTube, Machinima served over 2 billion video views in 2010 alone, reaches over 50 million gamers monthly, and delivers over 500 million videos a month, and growing.  Machinima.com’s global content network features official publisher content, gameplay videos and original content, including over 20 original weekly shows, all aimed at the coveted 18 – 34 year old male demographic.  Machinima.com is fast-becoming a global phenomenon with an ability to capture a cultural sensibility and awareness among a next generation of entertainment consumers and marketers alike. The company is backed by MK Capital and Redpoint Ventures, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. 

About NetherRealm Studios
NetherRealm Studios, wholly owned by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a leader in the development of interactive entertainment as the creator of the billion dollar Mortal Kombat franchise. Mortal Kombat has spawned two theatrical films, multiple television series, and has sold over 28 million games to date. Located in Chicago, Illinois the award-winning NetherRealm team has been working and creating games together since 1992. Additional information about NetherRealm Studios can be found at www.netherrealm.com

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) oversees the electronic distribution of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group’s content through Video-On-Demand, Pay-Per-View, Electronic Sell-Through and Subscription Video-On-Demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels.   WBDD also distributes content through third party digital retailers and licensees.  A worldwide industry leader since its inception, WBDD also manages the Studio’s E-commerce sites that include WBShop.com and WarnerArchive.com.  Twitter: @WBDigitalDist

About Warner Premiere 
Warner Premiere, part of Warner Bros. Entertainment, specializes in the development and production of both features and digital content for home entertainment platforms. Past projects include Another Cinderella Story, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Batman: Under the Red Hood, as well as the digital series Watchmen Motion Comics. Warner Premiere is at the creative forefront in the made-for-home entertainment marketplace, producing properties that exemplify the commitment to story, production and brand equity for which Warner Bros. is known.