Excitement is high for the upcoming Street Fighter movie, with the hope that it will finally do right by the iconic video game franchise. The story is obviously important, but this adaptation will ultimately live or die by its fight scenes.
The project has assembled a vast array of talent, including actors with plenty of action experience, professional wrestlers, and even the odd rapper. If the trailers are any indication, a lot of work has gone into replicating the hard-hitting nature of the games.
Of course, not everyone has mastered those. In an interview with Empire Online, Andrew Koji admitted that, while he's figured out Ryu's fighting prowess on screen, he's no expert at playing the games.
"I wasn't very good at the game, growing up. I was a button-basher. I found it really hard," he shared. "But being an Asian dude growing up in the West, I'd always play as Ryu because he was the one that was like me."
Koji continued, "My task was to try and bring as much depth and nuance as possible. Ryu's fighting style is more karate, so I was training and studying Shotokan karate as well as judo, jujitsu, and kickboxing."
Noah Centineo was also on hand to discuss the intense training regimen required for Street Fighter. "For the physical side, me, Andrew and Callina trained together every day, six days a week, for six weeks straight. I felt like I had something to prove."
"I think a lot of us did, as we were given an opportunity with this movie to step up into a position we had never been in before. So I think we all felt that responsibility."
A new still from Street Fighter has also been released, putting the spotlight on franchise icons, Ryu and Ken Masters (Centineo). You can check that out in the X post at the bottom of this article.
Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s "Game Over!"
Helmed by director Kitao Sakurai, Street Fighter is set to bring the battle from the arcade to the big screen with Hadoukens, roundhouses, and all your favourite characters.
The movie stars Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Andrew Koji as Ryu, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoai as Akuma, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, Eric André as Don Sauvage With Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson as Balrog, and Jason Momoa as Blanka.
The supporting cast includes Orville Peck as Vega, Olivier Richters as Zangief, Hirooki Goto as E. Honda, Rayna Vallandingham as Juli, Alexander Volkanovski as Joe, Kyle Mooney as Marvin, and Mel Jarnson as Cammy.
Street Fighter arrives in theaters on October 16.