Capcom's landmark fighting game series is getting another live-action Hollywood adaptation. Street Fighter opens worldwide on Friday, October 16, 2026, and on March 6 the Japanese teaser trailer and 17 character posters were released all at once.

This is the first live-action Street Fighter since the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, roughly 32 years ago. That version made Guile the lead and played as military action; fans remain sharply divided on it. A second attempt, 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, was critically panned.

The setup this time is different. Legendary Entertainment, the studio behind the Godzilla and Dune films, acquired the live-action rights from Capcom in April 2023, and the two companies are co-developing and co-producing. Paramount Pictures distributes under a new three-year global deal with Legendary, and this is the first film released under it.

Set in 1993: Fists, Fate, and a Sinister Tournament

The film takes place in 1993. Ryu and Ken, estranged, are drawn back together when the enigmatic Chun-Li recruits them for the World Warrior Tournament. Behind the tournament sits a conspiracy designed to turn them against each other and force each to face his own past.

Kitao Sakurai directs. The Japanese American filmmaker made The Eric Andre Show, Netflix's Bad Trip, and episodes of the game adaptation series Twisted Metal, and is known for welding comedy onto action. Brothers Danny and Michael Philippou were originally attached but dropped out in June 2024; Sakurai took over in February 2025. Dalan Musson, a writer on Captain America: Brave New World, is credited on the screenplay. Portions were shot in IMAX.

17 Fighters Assemble: A Cast from Every Corner of Entertainment

The cast mixes martial artists, pro wrestlers, rappers, and actors.

Andrew Koji plays Ryu. Born in Britain to a Japanese father, a martial artist himself, he appeared in Warrior, Bullet Train, and Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins. Noah Centineo of Netflix's To All the Boys films plays Ken, and Callina Liang plays Chun-Li.

Combat sports supplied a good chunk of the roster. Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa'i, the former WWE Undisputed Champion, plays Akuma. WWE's "American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes plays Guile. Hirooki Goto of New Japan Pro-Wrestling plays E. Honda. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski turns up as Joe.

Jason Momoa of the Aquaman films plays Blanka, and how prosthetics and CG will render the green beast has drawn plenty of attention. Indian action star Vidyut Jammwal plays Dhalsim. Dutch former kickboxer Olivier Richters plays Zangief. Comedian Andrew Schulz plays Dan Hibiki. Mel Jarnson is Cammy, Rayna Vallandingham is Juli, Eric André plays the film-original character Don Sauvage, and Kyle Mooney appears as Marvin.

One point of confusion worth clearing up: the three villains have different names in Japan. Street Fighter II's international release swapped them, and the film uses the international set.

International name Japanese name Cast
Balrog (the boxer) M. Bison Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Vega (the claw fighter) Balrog Orville Peck
M. Bison (the dictator) Vega David Dastmalchian

So 50 Cent plays the boxer Japanese fans know as M. Bison, Oppenheimer's David Dastmalchian plays the final boss Japan calls Vega, and country singer Orville Peck plays the character Japan calls Balrog.

Japanese Teaser Trailer: From "Bonus Stage" to "YOU WIN"

The Japanese teaser brings out Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Dhalsim, E. Honda, and Cammy in quick succession. Ryu charges a Hadouken; Guile's Somersault Kick and Zangief's brainbuster land with live-action weight.

The climax recreates the Bonus Stage. Smashing a car apart with bare hands was one of Street Fighter II's signature interludes, and the sequence runs all the way through to the "YOU WIN" caption. The respect for the source is hard to miss.

All 17 Japanese character posters dropped alongside it. Ryu's stance, Chun-Li's bearing, Zangief's frame: the fidelity has generated real noise on social media.

Release Information

Street Fighter opens worldwide on Friday, October 16, 2026, distributed in North America by Paramount Pictures. IMAX screenings are planned.

The series has sold more than 59 million units since the first arcade cabinet in 1987. Street Fighter 6, the newest entry, passed 7 million worldwide in June 2026 and has cleared 1 million in Japan alone. At EVO Japan 2026, the Street Fighter division set a Guinness World Record as the largest tournament for a single fighting game. Capcom frames the film as part of a "one content, multiple use" strategy spanning games, esports, and film.

What are your memories of Street Fighter where you live? Some of you may remember the 1994 Van Damme version. What do you make of this cast and the teaser? Tell us how video game adaptations land in your country!

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