In an unfortunate turn of events, the new live-action Street Fighter has lost its directors. Billed as a blockbuster adaptation of Capcom’s hit fighting franchise, Street Fighter has hit its first major roadblock. Capcom is partnering with legendary to adapt the classic video game for the silver screen.

Street Fighter is one of the most iconic video game franchises ever made, and arguably the king of fighting games. It started out as a humble arcade fighting game in 1987, but it wasn’t until 1991 when they released Street Fighter II that the ip changed fighting games forever. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior established many conventions used 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 Fighter became one of the most recognizable video game IPs of all time.

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Street Fighter: The Movies, Ranked

Street Fighter may be one of the best fighting game series of all time, but its tenure in the movie business has been less than stellar.

According to a report published by The Hollywood Reporter, twins Danny 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 hit Talk 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.

The Street Fighter franchise is not new to live-action adaptations, nor to the failures involved with them. Twice before it has been adapted, first in 1994’s Street Fighter: The Movie, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and again in 2009’s Street 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 newest Street FIghter is 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 of Street 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 a Street Fighter film. 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 Me also showcased their verve when it came to directing, filming with a fresh kineticism that would feel at ease in an action film like Street Fighter. Hopefully, Legendary and Capcom find a new director that suits Street Fighter just 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.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter