After a steady batch of Mortal Kombat casting news and set photos, word on the highly-anticipated web series had, for the most part, quieted down - as director Kevin Tancharoen prepared to unleash the series in conjunction with the upcoming Mortal Kombat video game.

The game, which takes the franchise back to its 2D roots (with updated 3D graphics, of course), will be released on April 19th - and now we're getting word that Tancharoen's live-action Mortal Kombat web series will premiere one week prior on April 12th.

Tancharoen confirmed the news through his Twitter account - pointing to a Hadoken.net article that reported the first episode of the web series would debut on the Machinima YouTube channel - following a "Mortal Kombat Live Gameplay Exclusive."

According to Machinima:

Watch our Machinima Live Stream from 12pm – 4pm on Tuesday, April 12th. We will play Mortal Kombat exclusively with Sark, Hutch, and show Director Kevin Tancharoen. Additionally, special guest actors from the show will show off their gaming skills at the Machinima headquarters.

Stick around until 4 p.m. PST on the stream, and we’ll premiere the first episode of the Mortal Kombat series. See you then!

The timeframe does make sense - as Warner Bros. will undoubtedly want as much buzz leading up to the game's release as possible.

While many movie and TV fans are certainly looking forward to the web series, it's the game that's going to bring in the big bucks for Warner Bros. (through Warner Bros. Interactive) - as Mortal Kombat should be able to sell around 2 million copies, without too much trouble, in its first month on retail shelves. As a result, it makes sense that the web series is being used to build anticipation for the game. That said, the web series could certainly offer-up a large pay-out down the road - by paving the way for a new feature film.

Mileena and Kitana in Mortal Kombat Legacy

Details on the web series are still under tight wraps - but expect Tancharoen's directing to balance the "gritty" world of his Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short film with the larger fantasy elements of the franchise. We'll keep you posted as we hear further official details regarding Machinima's Mortal Kombat web series premiere.

Follow us on Twitter @benkendrick and @screenrant and let us know what you're hoping to see in Tancharoen’s web series.

Mortal Kombat is currently shooting in Vancouver and is expected to premier in April.

Source: Kevin Tancharoen