Production company Legendary has acquired the movie and TV rights to Capcom’s Street Fighter!
This means the company, which is responsible for films such as Dune, Pokemon Detective Pikachu and Kong: Skull Island, will be working with Capcom to develop movies and TV shows based on the popular fighting game.
Thus far, Hollywood has yet to master a Street Fighter live-action adaptation movie. Universal and 20th Century Fox both took a swing in 1994 and 2009 respectively. Universal’s 1994 movie starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen and Raul Julia whereas Fox’s 2009 Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li saw Kristin Kreuk in the titular role. Unfortunately for both studios, none of the movies became a critical or commercial hit.
Time will tell if Legendary’s adaptation will be one embraced by fans and critics. This is especially since the company’s film adaptations of Capcom’s zombie action video game series Dead Rising received lukewarm reviews.
Street Fighter is one of Capcom’s most enduring franchises of all time, lasting for more than 30 years. Starting in 1987 as an arcade game, the video game series has since spawned multiple special editions and remakes. The latest, Street Fighter 6, is due on 2 June. In total, Capcom has sold 49 million units worldwide.
The game is popular for its wide array of characters, all of whom with their own distinctive fighting style and have a deep library of special moves and combos. Some of its popular characters include Chun-Li, Ryu, Ken, Zangief and M. Bison.