Summary
In an unfortunate turn of events, the new live-actionStreet Fighterhas lost its directors. Billed as a blockbuster adaptation of Capcom’s hit fighting franchise,Street Fighterhas hit its first major roadblock. Capcom is partnering with legendary to adapt the classic video game for the silver screen.
Street Fighteris one of the most iconic video game franchises ever made, and arguably the king of fighting games. It started out as a humblearcade fighting gamein 1987, but it wasn’t until 1991 when they releasedStreet Fighter IIthat the ip changed fighting games forever.Street Fighter II: The World Warriorestablished many conventionsused in fighting games to this day. It was the first fighting game to give players the choice of many different playable characters, all with their own unique movesets. It introduced the concepts of grappling, throwing, and special moves, all of which are used in some capacity in nearly every fighting game to this day. After this,Street Fighterbecame one of the most recognizable video game IPs of all time.
According to areport published by The Hollywood Reporter, twinsDanny and Michael Philippou are no longer attached to direct the newest live-action Street Fighter. The Australian brothers made waves last year with A24’s surprise horror hitTalk to Me, their directorial debut. Reportedly, scheduling played a large part in the split, as Capcom and Legendary wanted to begin production soon. The Philippous opted to instead concentrate on their next film,Bring Her Back,which will see the duo reunite with A24 again.
TheStreet Fighterfranchise is not new to live-action adaptations, nor to the failures involved with them. Twice before it has been adapted, first in 1994’sStreet Fighter: The Movie, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and again in 2009’sStreet Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. The former is regarded as one of the worst video game adaptations of all time (despite some idiosyncratic charms) and the latter is usually just left out of the conversation, sitting at a 3.7 out of 10 on IMDb and 3% on Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s most likely unsurprising to many that the newestStreet FIghteris off to a rocky start. Despite the recent successes of animated Sonic and Mario movies,many widely regard video game movies as “cursed,”as they often fail miserably upon release. It can be difficult to form a film complete with characters and story when adapting video games, especially when the focus of the game is not its story, but in its gameplay, as is the case ofStreet Fighter. Furthermore, filmmakers have to both provide fanservice to fans of the video games with high expectations, as well as crafting a film of substance that can stand on its own.
The Philippous no doubt had stylistic tendencies that would have paired well with aStreet Fighterfilm. The duo started out as YouTubers who would often make elaborate videos that were self-contained action sequences, complete with impressive stunts. Despite being a horror film,Talk to Mealso showcased their verve when it came to directing, filming with a fresh kineticism that would feel at ease in an action film likeStreet Fighter. Hopefully, Legendary and Capcom find a new director that suitsStreet Fighterjust as well.
Street Fighter
Street Fighter is one of the most iconic names in gaming’s fighting genre. The series began in 1987 and went on to become a powerful force in arcade gaming for many years.The Street Fighter franchise transitioned well onto consoles and is still going strong today.
