According to a report from Deadline, Danny and Michael Philippou, the directors behind the indie horror movie Talk to Me, are reportedly finalizing their deal to direct Legendary’s Street Fighter movie. Despite having directed only one film, Talk to Me, the Philippou brothers scored a 97% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Sources say that the brothers were able to leverage the buzz surrounding their upcoming film, which has a release date of July 28, to secure a low-to-mid-seven-figure deal for the Street Fighter movie.
In addition to Talk to Me, the Philippou brothers are known for their popular YouTube channel, RackaRacka, where they create horror and comedy content. Their filmmaking journey began by recording backyard wrestling matches, which could be seen as a literal street fight.
In case you didn’t know, Legendary, the production company behind Dune and the upcoming Dune 2, has acquired the rights to produce all live-action Street Fighter movies and TV shows in collaboration with game studio Capcom, according to a press release.
Street Fighter, one of the most successful fighting video game franchises, debuted in 1987 with its arcade game Street Fighter, and Street Fighter II set the standard for arcade fighting games when it was released in 1991. It was the first game to offer a choice of characters and fighting techniques, making one-on-one play revolutionary.
The upcoming Street Fighter film is not the franchise’s first foray into Hollywood. In 1994, a film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Col. Guile and featuring a cast including Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen, and the late Raul Julia was released. In 2009, 20th Century Fox released Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, which starred Kristin Kreuk in the title role. Both films were commercial and critical failures, although the Van Damme version has since gained a cult following.
Capcom has announced that Street Fighter 6 will be released on June 2, 2023, on PS4/5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). The company has also announced the Year 1 DLC characters, which include Rashid (summer 2023), A.K.I. (autumn 2023), Akuma (spring 2024), and Ed (winter 2024). Additionally, Capcom announced that its Capcom Cup X will have a $2 million prize pool, with the winner of the Street Fighter 6 championship taking home $1 million.
