Hollywood might be taking another stab at a live-action Street Fighter adaptation, this time with a studio that can handle big franchises. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary has secured the the film and TV rights to the long-running series of Capcom video games. No official plans have been announced just yet, but it’s only a matter of time before characters like Ryu and Chun-Li make their way back to the big screen.
The original Street Fighter was an arcade fighting game released in 1987 and introduced players to its ever-expanding cast of pugilists, including Japanese martial artist Ryu, his friend-turned-rival, Ken, and several other opponents from a variety of different countries. Since then, the franchise has expanded its roster to feature a host of additional characters across more than two dozen sequels and spinoffs, some of which actually pit the games’ fighters against the heroes of the Marvel Universe. The next mainline installment, Street Fighter 6, hits stores on June 2.
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So far, there have been two live-action films based on the Street Fighter saga. The first hit theaters in 1994 and memorably starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as Col. Guile and future Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Star Wars actress Ming-Na Wen as Chun-Li. In 2009, 20th Century Fox released Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, which featured Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk as the title character. Unfortunately (but not unsurprisingly), both films were torn apart by critics. But although the original movie managed to find success at the box office success, The Legend of Chun-Li bombed with just $12.8 million against a $50 million budget.
The last 35 years have yielded a number of animated Street Fighter adaptations as well. Regardless, it remains to be seen which medium Legendary has in mind for their first project. No directors or screenwriters are currently attached. However, the studio has a distribution deal with Sony, which will most likely release any theatrical films if they decide to go that route.
What are you hoping to see from a new Street Fighter adaptation? Let us know in the comment section below!
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