‘Street Fighter’ Film and Television Rights Land at Legendary
Legendary Entertainment has acquired film and television rights to the video game franchise “Street Fighter.” Any upcoming projects — including one feature film that’s already in the works — will be co-developed and produced in conjunction with Japanese video game distributor Capcom.
Since the franchise launched in 1987, Street Fighter has sold over 49 million units worldwide, becoming one of the most well-known and highest-grossing video game franchises of all time. It also spawned other games, various spin-offs and crossovers featuring characters like Ryu, Ken, Chung-Li, Guile and M. Bison. Capcom is behind other popular games, such as “Resident Evil” and “Monster Hunter.”
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Hollywood has yet to master a live-screen version of “Street Fighter,” though there have been several attempts. Universal’s 1994 action film “Street Fighter” — starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen and Raul Julia — was a critical and commercial misfire, as was 20th Century Fox’s 2009 adaptation “Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li” with Kristin Kreuk.
Legendary, which has a new distribution deal with Sony, has experience with adaptations of all kinds, including novels, comic books and more with “Dune,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Pokemon: Detective Pikachu” and “Enola Holmes.” The company recently cut ties with Warner Bros., which is still releasing “Dune: Part Two” on Nov. 3, 2023.
Plans to bring “Street Fighter” to the big screen comes at a boon time for gaming adaptations. The genre, which was once synonymous with box office failures, has experienced a revival thanks to “Sonic the Hedgehog” and its 2022 sequel, Tom Holland’s “Uncharted,” “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and the upcoming “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
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