Round 1, FIGHT!
Say this next bit with me while doing your best Oprah impression, "You get a TV series, and you get a TV series! Everyone here, gets a TV series!" That's pretty much how it feels, these days, right? Anyway, thank you for indulging me.
We've just learned via Deadline that Entertainment One's President and Chief Content Officer, Film, Television and Digital, Mark Gordon, has just landed a deal that will see him develop, produce and finance a television series basd on the iconic Street Fighter video game franchise! Joining Gordon on the lofty endeavor are Joey Ansah, Jacqueline Quella and Mark Wooding, otherwise known as the team behind the live-action web series Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist. While eOne is on-board to manage the international sales portion of the project, the aforementioned trio will also executive produce.
Tiger! Tiger Uppercut!
Street Fighter the series will draw on the game’s World Warrior story-arc — introduced in the 1991 Street Fighter II: The World Warrior sequel to the original game — as the jumping off point, centering on four protagonists: Ryu, Ken, Guile and Chun-Li. Together, they fight to take down M. Bison, the evil mastermind who runs Shadaloo, a global criminal organization. Though on different journeys, our heroes’ paths will cross as they are drawn into the World Warrior Tournament, a competition devised by M. Bison to find the most powerful and capable fighter in the world. On the journey they come to share, they must draw on their strength, skills, intelligence and loyalty in a battle to survive and emerge as the World Warrior.
“Street Fighter is a global tour de force franchise, having garnered immense worldwide commercial success and built a vast devoted fanbase that has only grown through its 30 year legacy. We are thrilled to be teaming up with Joey, Jacqueline and Mark, who are already so deeply connected to this brand, to bring this adored story to television audiences everywhere,” says Gordon. “A particular strength of Street Fighter is the wide range of ethnically diverse characters and powerful women featured in the game. It will allow us to build an inclusive and engaging TV universe.”
Developed and published by Capcom, Street Fighter was created by Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto and unleashed in arcades on August 30, 1987. Hailed as a tried-and true quarter muncher, Street Fighter: The World Warrior quickly went on to become a smash hit among gamers looking for an addictive player-vs-player combat challenge. In the decades since its launch, the franchise has grown exponentially, with both countless game-related sequels and animated adaptations having been offered to the title's fervent fanbase. In fact, Street Fighter remains one of the highlights of the Evolution Championship Series (EVO for short) gaming event to this very day.
“After a long search, guided by the team behind Assassin’s Fist, we are delighted to be partnering with a company with the outstanding TV experience of Mark Gordon and eOne. They have the credentials to help us launch a faithful adaptation of Street Fighter as a major TV series,” said Yoshinori Ono, Capcom Executive Producer for Street Fighter.
Ah ha ha ha ha, yatta!
Are you game for the makers of Assassin's Fist to help eOne create an engaging TV series based on the world of Capcom's Street Fighter? Are you prepared for the epic hair, brooding, and lavished fighting styles of the game's combatants to be adapted for the purposes of this project? How much money would you estimate that you've sunk into the Street Fighter game series throughout the years? Who are you favorite fighters in the series? Let us know in the comments section below.