While the video game adaptation has been a consistent presence in Western cinema ever since 1993’s absurd (and largely reviled) Super Mario Bros., the movies that followed had been so consistently bad for so long that people joked the genre was cursed. In fact, the first feature film video game adaptation with a “Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes wouldn’t arrive until 2019’s Detective Pikachu, which seemingly ushered in a new era for the genre, as a number of well-received movies have been released since, such as the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy, Werewolves Within, and Mortal Kombat.
The latter, in particular, was enough of a success that a sequel, Mortal Kombat II, is set for release later this year, but it also inspired an upcoming adaptation of another legendary fighting game franchise, Street Fighter, and Canadian actress Callina Liang has been cast in a major role for it.
Fascinatingly, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were both adapted into feature films in the 1990s, having been released within a year of each other, and were only the third and fourth video game adaptations, respectively, to be made in the West at the time.
1994’s Street Fighter was directed by Die Hard co-writer Steven E. de Souza to largely negative reviews, but it was nonetheless a success at the box office, while also boasting an eclectic cast that included Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ming-Na Wen, Wes Studi, Simon Callow, popstar Kylie Minogue, and Raul Julia with an acclaimed turn as the villainous M. Bison, in what was his final role before passing away. There was also another adaptation of the franchise in 2009, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, which was somehow much worse than its 1994 counterpart, notable only for Chris Klein’s awful, Razzie-worthy performance, and the fact that Canadian actress Kristin Kreuk played the titular Chun-Li.
Coincidentally, the iconic character of Chun-Li will once again be played by a Canadian, as this is the role Callina Liang landed in this adaptation of Street Fighter, which will be helmed by Kitao Sakurai, who is best known for his 2021 comedy Bad Trip. This is a major career milestone for the young Vancouver actress as she only has a handful of credits to her name, though she made waves in 2024 by starring in Bad Genius and Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, her only two feature films to date. However, it is Liang’s co-stars that are particularly interesting, as this rendition of Street Fighter boasts one of the peculiar casts I have seen in some time.
Perhaps the most astute casting decision is that of English actor Andrew Kenji as one of the franchise’s foremost heroes, Ryu, because the actor has already proven himself an immensely talented onscreen fighter in the TV show Warrior and the 2022 action flick Bullet Train. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Street Fighter adaptation without Ryu’s blonde-haired stylistic doppelganger Ken, who will be played by the decidedly dark-haired Noah Centineo. His hair colour can be fixed by stylists, but here’s hoping Centineo’s lack of discernable fighting skills will not be overly apparent onscreen.
So far, the cast is rather tame, but it’s here where things start to get a little wild. First off, Jason Momoa, who’s fresh off the major box office success of another video game adaptation, A Minecraft Movie, has been cast as the green-skinned, electricity-generating fan-favourite Blanka, which I think is further inspired casting, right down to Momoa’s hair. Less expected, however, was the casting of rapper 50 Cent (AKA Curtis Jackson) as disgraced boxer and villainous lackey Balrog. This might seem somewhat out of nowhere, but Jackson has been acting for years (particularly on the show Power), and he has a gritty attitude that he could put to good use in the role.
Then, there’s the most surprising casting decisions. WWE wrestling legends Cody Rhoades and Roman Reigns play the distinctively flat-topped Guile and the overpowered Akuma respectively. Neither wrestler has proven himself a truly capable film actor as of yet, but perhaps one, or even both could use this opportunity as a platform to become the next Rock, Dave Bautista or John Cena. If that wasn’t enough, comedian, podcaster and actor Andrew Schulz has been cast as something of a joke character in the franchise, Dan, which will surely play to Schulz’s comedic strengths, and he has enough acting experience that he can surely hold his own, regardless of what you might think of his controversial rhetoric and politics.
Undoubtedly the most questionable casting decision of the entire cast, though, is South African country music star Orville Peck as another staple of the franchise, Vega, because…they both wear elaborate masks, I guess. Peck lacks any real acting experience, so perhaps Vega’s mask is a gift to both him and the audience, especially if he’s ultimately wooden in the role, but I’ll reserve judgment for now.
As the for the film’s primary villain, Walton Goggins originally seemed to be the frontrunner for the iconic M. Bison, but that role has rather surprisingly gone to David Dastmalchian, who is a wonderful actor even if he’s a left-of-field choice. Considering that they wanted an actor like Goggins and Dastmalchian, who are heavy hitters in their acting abilities rather than fighting skills, it’s clear that Sakurai and his producers sought a dramatic gravitas to the character rather than emphasising his physical prowess from the video games. The more I think about it, the more I love this casting choice, but I’m also biased because I enjoy watching Dastmalchian so much. Nonetheless, based on his prior work, he could be a truly menacing M. Bison that chews every scene he’s in.
Principal photography is currently set to begin on street Fighter in August, while the release date is only a broad 2026 for now.
