Street Fighter game director teases “very smart” movie adaptation in new behind-the-scenes featurette: “This is the Street Fighter I know”

The Street Fighter movie trailer might’ve made the adaptation look kinda goofy, but it sounds like we’re in good hands with director Kitao Sakurai and the cast – who all confess to being “big fans” of the video games.

In a new behind-the-scenes featurette, the team are seen welcoming Capcom director Takayuki Nakayama on set back during filming last year, where Ryu actor Andrew Koji promises they’ll “do [their] best to honor the characters and bring them to life in the best way they’ve ever been before… ever.”

Looks like they made good on the bold declaration, too, as Nakayama later tells the camera: “The director and everyone else involved in the production all love Street Fighter, and are fans just like us, which gives me great comfort.

“I think they’ve managed to accomplish something very difficult in a really smart way,” he adds with a smile. Very promising, indeed.

Written by Dalan Musson, whose credits include Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World, the Street Fighter movie also stars Cody Rhodes (as Guile), Rayna Vallandingham (as Juli), Kyle Mooney (as Marvin), Vidyut Jammwal (as Dhalsim), Alexander Volkanovski (as Joe), Olivier Richters (as Zangief), Hirooki Goto (as E. Honda), Mel Jarnson (as Cammy), Eric André (as Don Sauvage), David Dastmalchian (as M. Bison), Noah Centineo (as Ken Masters), and Jason Momoa (as Blanka).

“I played it on my PS4… PS5…” Callina Liang, who plays Chun-Li, says of the games in the promo, as Dan Hibiki actor Andrew Schulz confesses: “I was obsessed with Street Fighter.”

Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, who brings Balrog to life, was a bit more casual when it comes to his combat approach. “I just hit the buttons so fast and see what happens,” he laughs.

Sakurai’s new take won’t be the first time fans have seen Ryu and co. brought to life. Back in 1994, Jean-Claude Van Damme played Guile in a feature-length outing, opposite Kylie Minogue’s Cammy, and Ming-Na Wen’s Chun-Li. In 2009, 20th Century Fox unveiled spin-off Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, with Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk in the lead role. Both were received poorly by critics, with the latest only making $50 million at the worldwide box office.

Street Fighter is set to release on October 16, 2026. For more, check out our ranked list of the best video game movies of all time.