The New ‘Street Fighter’ Movies Looks Like Fun | Watch the Trailer

The latest trailer for Street Fighter makes one thing clear: director Kitao Sakurai is not trying to make Capcom’s fighting-game franchise look like an ordinary action film. The footage embraces the characters, signature moves and heightened style that have defined the games, while placing Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li at the centre of a story set in 1993.

Andrew Koji plays Ryu, with Noah Centineo as Ken Masters and Callina Liang as Chun-Li. Ryu and Ken have become estranged when Chun-Li brings them together for the World Warrior Tournament. Behind the competition, however, is a conspiracy that forces the two former friends to confront their past and each other.

The tournament brings several of the franchise’s most recognisable fighters into the same story. David Dastmalchian plays M. Bison, Jason Momoa is Blanka, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson plays Balrog and Cody Rhodes takes on Guile. Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i plays Akuma, Orville Peck is Vega, Andrew Schulz plays Dan Hibiki, Vidyut Jammwal plays Dhalsim and Olivier Richters plays Zangief. Hirooki Goto appears as E. Honda, while Rayna Vallandingham plays Juli and Alexander Volkanovski plays Joe. Kyle Mooney and Melanie Jarnson also appear as Marvin and Cammy.

Photo: YouTube

The casting brings together actors with performers from professional wrestling, music, comedy and combat sports. Momoa is also one of the film’s producers, alongside Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Takayuki Nakayama and Stefan Makhoul.

Sakurai’s approach is central to the film’s identity. The director has said he wanted to make something that did not feel like a conventional video-game movie, while retaining the nostalgia attached to the games.

The trailers reflect that decision. Ryu uses his Hadoken, Ken performs the Shoryuken and E. Honda demonstrates his Hundred Hand Slap. Chun-Li’s fighting style is also featured, while Dhalsim’s stretching abilities, M. Bison’s Psycho Power and other familiar techniques are brought into the live-action setting.

The references extend beyond individual moves. An earlier trailer showed Ken attacking a car, recalling the vehicle-destruction bonus stages associated with Street Fighter II. The characters’ costumes and appearances also remain close to their game counterparts rather than being redesigned into conventional martial-arts film attire.

Photo: YouTube

The latest footage gives E. Honda particular attention, while Blanka’s appearance relies on visual effects. Guile is shown in his familiar military-inspired look, although the trailers have not yet prominently featured his signature Sonic Boom or Flash Kick. Another brief detail shows Ryu with glowing red eyes, though the footage does not explain the significance of the moment.

The trailer also leans into the exaggerated qualities of the source material. Bright costumes, stylised combat and the fighters’ unusual abilities sit alongside the more conventional elements of the tournament story, keeping the film closely connected to the visual language of the games.

The promotional campaign has followed the same approach. When the latest trailer was released in Japan, Paramount and Legendary accompanied it with a World Warrior Tour event in Tokyo featuring members of the cast and Sakurai. The trailer was also launched as an interactive YouTube experience, allowing viewers to follow prompts and perform virtual Street Fighter combinations while watching the footage.

Photo: YouTube

Behind the film is a production team with direct ties to the franchise. Sakurai directs and co-writes the screenplay with T.J. Fixman, while the story is credited to Dalan Musson and Gary Dauberman. The film is produced by Legendary Pictures and Capcom, with Paramount Pictures handling its theatrical release. Nakayama, the director of Street Fighter 6, is also among the producers.

This is the third live-action Street Fighter film, following the 1994 adaptation starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and the 2009 Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. The new film takes a different approach, keeping the franchise’s arcade identity visible through its characters, fighting techniques, costumes and tournament setting.

Street Fighter is scheduled to open in cinemas on October 16, 2026.