Warner Premiere today announced development of a live-action digital series based on the best-selling “Mortal Kombat” videogame franchise. Directed by Kevin Tancharoen, known for his popular unofficial fan short Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (watch below!) which garnered over 10 million views online, and in conjunction with the upcoming Mortal Kombat videogame, this action-packed, digital series will take gamers deep into the history of warriors they know and love such as Scorpion, Johnny Cage and Liu Kang. Shooting for the digital series will take place in Vancouver starting in early February.

“Mortal Kombat” is one of the most celebrated videogame franchises of all time. Since its debut in 1992, it has spawned four arcade games, 10 console-based videogame titles, two movies (Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation), two televisions series (“Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm” and “Mortal Kombat: Conquest”) and an animated prequel Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins. Additionally, a new Mortal Kombat game will be coming out April 19, 2011 on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

Available this spring through online digital retailers from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, the “Mortal Kombat” digital series is an anthology of multiple live action shorts, each providing never-before-revealed insights into characters featured in the upcoming videogame as well as the game’s universe. Additional details, including casting, will be announced in the coming weeks.

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.