Directors Of 'Talk To Me' In Negotiations To Helm New 'Street Fighter' Movie
By Jeffrey Harris on April 30, 2023 at 3:15 PM EDT
It looks like Capcom's iconic fighting video game series, "Street Fighter," is getting another chance on the big screen. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the "Talk to Me" filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou are currently in final negotiations to direct the new film for Legendary Pictures.
New 'Street Fighter' Movie Gains 'Talk To Me' Directors
The duo's first movie, the horror film "Talk to Me," had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier in January. It's currently slated for a July 28, 2023, release in the US and on July 27 in their native Australia.
"Street Fighter" is one of the most popular games ever. It became the first fighting game to offer players various fighter options when it hit the arcades for the first time in 1991. The game became a global phenomenon. The "Street Fighter" gaming franchise has sold more than 49 million copies worldwide with its remakes, sequels, updates, and various re-releases. The next game, "Street Fighter 6," is due on June 2.
In 1994, the "Street Fighter" franchise received its first live-action film adaptation, written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile and Raul Julia as the villainous Bison. The film was not the most promising of hits. It managed to make only $33 million domestically from a $35 million budget and about $99 million worldwide. It didn't fare well with critics, and the franchise failed to spawn sequels.
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A new live-action movie based on the franchise was released in 2009, "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li," starring Kristin Kreuk as the titular Chun-Li. The film was an utter flop with both critics and at the box office, grossing less than $13 million worldwide with a $50 million budget. While both the live-action films were clips, the Van Damme film has since drawn somewhat of a cult following and fandom.
According to THR, the type of take on the material and which characters from the franchise will be featured in the new movie hasn't been revealed. Additionally, the studio is currently in talks with a short list of potential writers—legendary acquired the gaming franchise's film and TV rights earlier in April. The company is collaborating with Capcom for the upcoming adaptation.
The Philippou brothers previously produced horror and comedy content for their popular YouTube channel, RackaRacka. However, they started gaining attention from Hollywood with their feature debut, "Talk to Me," following its Sundance world premiere. The film follows a young woman who conjures a spirit using an embalmed hand. A24 reportedly paid a seven-figure price for the rights to the film.
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Capitalizing on the excitement from their film debut, the Philippous reportedly received a "lucrative" low-to-mid-seven-figure deal to direct the new "Street Fighter" movie.
It will be interesting to see what Legendary and Capcom come up with for the new project. Plus, it will be interesting to see the vision of the Philippou as directors now that they appear to be involved. The new "Street Fighter" movie is in the works and has no official release date. Meanwhile, "Street Fighter 6" arrives on June 2 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC.
