'Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2' web series premiering in Q2 2013 on Machinima

Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2, the second season of the live-action web series based on the 20-year-old fighting game franchise, will premiere in the second quarter of 2013 exclusively on Machinima, the YouTube network announced today.

Director, producer and co-writer Kevin Tancharoen originally announced the second season during Comic-Con in July, promising better visual effects and a shift in focus to "the actual Mortal Kombat tournament this time." Season two will debut with a clip during the third annual Streamy Awards, which recognize top-tier web media content, on Feb. 17.

"We have become a destination for episodic narrative series thanks in part to the first season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and we look forward to breaking new ground with this much anticipated new season," said Machinima chairman, CEO and co-founder Allen DeBevoise, in a press release announcing the distribution deal.

Produced by Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, Legacy 2 is currently being filmed in Los Angeles with an expanded cast of actors with experience in television and film. The currently announced cast includes Harry Shum Jr. (Glee) as adviser Kuai Liang; Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) as Johnny Cage; Brian Tee (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) as Liu Kang; Mark Dacascos (Cradle 2 the Grave) as Kung Lao; Ian Anthony Dale (Hawaii Five-O) as Scorpion; and Cary Tagawa (Mortal Kombat) as Shang Tsung, reprising his role from the 1995 film.

According to Machinima, the first season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy has over 60 million views to date on YouTube. Legacy 2 will consist of 10 episodes for a total of approximately 80 minutes of running time. Check out a production still above, featuring Shum Jr. (left) and Tancharoen (second from left).