Back in 2023 we were pleased to find out that Capcom was partnering with Legendary Pictures to develop a new “Street Fighter” movie. The long-running and incredibly popular fighting game franchise is no stranger to various adaptations. With the recent glut of video game films that are actually well-made, Capcom had turned to a pair of directors to make a new “Street Fighter” film a reality. That fell through. But like a second-round comeback, the fight is back on with a new director stepping into the ring.
Initially, Capcom and Legendary had tapped Danny and Michael Philippou to direct the upcoming brawler-based film. The duo was hot off the heels of the well-received horror film, “Talk to Me.” As we reported previously though, they stepped away from the project in order to head up the A24 film, “Take Her Back.” In kind of a surprising move though, the studios have gone with a relatively unknown director to lead up their big project.
Their choice? Kitao Sakurai.
Sakurai is primarily known for his work with comedian Eric Andre. Along with working on his eponymous show, Sakurai directed Andre in the feature film, “Bad Trip.” More recently, Sakurai worked as a director for several episodes of “Twisted Metal,“ the Peacock series based on the game franchise of the same name. Given the fairly positive reception of that series, and its second season renewal, at least Sakurai has some experience in the world of video game adaptations.
Unless there’s some kind of delay in the release date, Sakurai has his work cut out for him. “Street Fighter” is set for a March 20th, 2026 release. Hopefully the change in directors hasn’t put the film too far off track. The franchise has a very deep and complicated lore, sometimes to its own detriment. Being able to streamline some of its elements and bring it to the big screen could be a win for film and gaming fans alike. We’ll continue to bring updates on this story as they become available.
