At one point, Talk to Me and Bring Her Back directors Danny & Michael Philippou were attached to helm a live-action Street Fighter pic for Capcom and Legendary Pictures the brothers ultimately departed the project.
Now speaking to IGN to promote their latest horror project, the siblings also briefly touched on Street Fighter and revealed new details on why they had to leave the project.
Danny Philippou explained, "It was really tricky with Street Fighter, because we had signed on for Street Fighter, it became a timing thing, and a scheduling thing. We couldn't do Street Fighter and Bring Her Back at the same time. It was so hard to turn down Street Fighter, and Legendary was really nice and incredible to work with, as was Capcom. We love the game so much but writing our own stuff felt so much more important. I have full control over this narrative and this story...and so that's why we pursued [Bring Her Back]."
However, Michael Philippou teased that Street Fighter wasn't out of his system and that he recently went to Thailand and trained with the real-life inspiration behind Sagat.
Despite an early shake-up with the departure of the Philippou brothers, the highly anticipated Street Fighter movie is not only still moving forward but gaining serious momentum. Now, Kitao Sakurai, acclaimed for his work on Bad Trip, has officially stepped into the director's chair, bringing his unique vision to the martial arts epic.
The casting news alone has been enough to generate considerable buzz: just recently, Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo signed on to portray the iconic rivals Ryu and Ken, respectively.
Adding to the star power, WWE sensation Roman Reigns is set to unleash fury as the formidable Akuma.
And the recent announcements haven't stopped there, as we've now learned that Hollywood star Jason Momoa is also boarding the project, taking on the role of the electrifying Blanka. This star-studded adaptation from Capcom and Legendary was first announced in April 2023, and with these recent developments, it's clear the project is rapidly taking shape.
Capcom's Street Fighter stands tall as one of the most beloved fighting game franchises ever created. Yet, despite its immense popularity in the gaming world, its journey to live-action has been, to put it mildly, a rocky one.
The 1994 movie, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue, has endured over the years to develop a cult following, despite the fact that the film initially debuted to tepid reviews and modest box office returns. And as for 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li... well, the less said about that cinematic endeavor, the better!
Stay tuned to GameFragger.com for continued coverage as we await word on more Street Fighter casting and a potential start date for filming.