Lionsgate is making steady progress with its film adaptation of the iconic Sega brawler, Streets of Rage, with the project landing the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise duo Pat Casey and Josh Miller as its writers.
As reported by Variety, Casey and Miller will take over following the exit of Derek Kolstad, who wrote the earlier draft of the film when Lionsgate first acquired the rights to the Streets of Rage movie in 2022. Additionally, The Harder They Fall’s Jeymes Samuel has also joined the project as its director.
Streets of Rage, also known as Bare Knuckle in Japan, is a series of side-scrolling beat ’em up video games by Sega which made its debut in 1991, and centres on a number of ex-police vigilantes trying to rid Wood Oak City of a crime syndicate corrupting its local government. The game franchise has seen a number of sequels over the years, with its most recent entry being 2020’s Streets of Rage 4. While plot details on its film adaptation remain under wraps for now, it’s described as “heavily into the cult classic game known for its iconic characters, acclaimed electronic soundtracks and beat ’em up action.”
With Casey and Miller on board, Lionsgate is keeping things in the Sega family, as the duo was responsible for Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog film trilogy, which adapted the game studio’s other iconic franchise. The Sonic films have grossed over US$1 billion worldwide to date, so hopefully the duo can lend their storytelling chops and offer another faithful and entertaining Sega film adaptation.
Additionally, the Streets of Rage movie will be produced by Sega’s Toru Nakahara, Story Kitchen’s Dmitri M. Johnson, and Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Tony Shaw. No release window has been announced for the film yet.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
