If you thought CinemaCon was the only game in town this Thursday, think again! The Hollywood Reporter says Talk to Me directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou are in talks to direct Street Fighter, Legendary’s adaptation of the classic fighting video game from Capcom.
Street Fighter is one of the most beloved fighting game franchises in history. The first game in the series, Street Fighter, hit arcades in 1987, followed by Street Fighter II in 1991. I was there, man. For both of them! I remember going to Nathan’s Famous restaurants to play the original, and it was a madhouse. People of all ages hooted and hollered around the Street Fighter cabinet as Ryu and Ken duked it out. There was something special about Street Fighter from the start, and the franchise grew with each iteration. I’ll never forget the first time I unleashed Blanka’s electric attack or Chun-Li’s Hundred Lightning Kicks. What a time to be alive!
The Street Fighter franchise has produced countless special editions, remakes, sequels, and spinoffs. The Street Fighter franchise has sold 49 million units worldwide, helping to keep the fighting game genre alive and well since the 80s.
In addition to the Street Fighter movie, Legendary plans to adapt the timeless fighting game property for TV.
The Philippou brothers’ directorial debut, Talk to Me, was picked up by A24 earlier this month after the horror film’s Sundance Film Festival premiere. The plot for Talk to Me follows a group of friends who discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand. After becoming hooked on the new thrill, one takes the conjuring too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Sophia Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Djanji, and Zoe Terakes star. As you can tell from our own Chris Bumbray’s 8/10 review, Talk to Me went over exceptionally well when making the festival rounds. The movie currently has a 98% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fangoria has described it as “an absolute blast,” and our friends at Bloody Disgusting say it’s “an intense, nightmarish horror movie that’ll leave you breathless.” Even Steven Spielberg and Jordan Peele have watched and loved the film.
This Street Fighter relaunch is not the first time the Street Fighter franchise is moving to big and small screens. In 1994, a Street Fighter movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen, and the late Raul Julia came to theaters. The film embarrassed the Street Fighter brand, and fans rarely talk about it without doubling over with laughter. To double down on the Street Fighter disaster, 20th Century Fox released Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li (2009), starring Kristin Kreuk as the mistress of pain with mighty thighs. The Legend of Chun-Li also bombed at the box office, to no one’s surprise.
However, Capcom is living the high life right now with its Monster Hunter and Resident Evil franchises performing like gangbusters with each new release. With Street Fighter 6 on the way, it makes sense for the studio to partner with a significant player in the film and television space. I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it, video game adaptations are likely the next step in Hollywood’s plan to mine a medium for all it’s worth. Fight!