Street Fighter live-action movie finally has its director in Kitao Sakurai

jtimes 3 days ago

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Street Fighter characters stand together in front of a brick wall.

Capcom

Street Fighter finally has a director.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Kitao Sakurai will direct Street Fighter, a live-action movie for Legendary Entertainment based on the classic video game from Capcom. Sakurai replaces Danny and Michael Philippou, who were in talks to direct before dropping out to work on Bring Her Back. Plot details are being kept under wraps.

The Emmy-nominated Sakurai is best known as a writer, director, and producer on The Eric Andre Show. Sakurai has directed two feature films: 2010’s Aardvark and 2021’s Bad Trip, with the latter starring comedian Eric Andre. Sakurai is an executive producer on the upcoming season of Netflix’s Beef.

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First released as an arcade game by Capcom in 1987, Street Fighter is a competitive fighting game featuring one-on-one battles with martial artists. Memorable characters include Ryu, Ken Masters, Chun-Li, Guile, and the villainous M. Bison. The second game, 1991’s Street Fighter II, became one of the best-selling arcade games. The Street Fighter franchise has an estimated gross of $14 billion.

Street Fighter (1994) Trailer HD | Jean-Claude Van Damme | Raul Julia

This is not the first time Street Fighter has received the live-action treatment. In 1994, Jean-Claude Van Damme headlined Street Fighter from 48 Hrs. scribe Steven E. de Souza. Van Damme starred as Colonel Guile, with Raul Julia as M. Bison, Ming-Na Wen as Chun-Li, Damian Chapa as Ken Masters, and Bryon Mann as Ryu. The film received negative reviews from critics but grossed nearly $100 million worldwide on a $35 million budget. Street Fighter has developed cult status in the years since its release.

Sony will release the live-action Street Fighter in theaters on March 20, 2026.