Street Fighter’s new adaptation could learn a lot from John Wick

John Wick: Chapter 4. This film was among the top box-office hits in 2023. It is one of Hollywood’s premier action franchises and continues to grow on previous successes to set the stage for a new age in action storytelling. There are plenty of lessons Hollywood should learn from the Wick franchise, and there’s a new, exciting opportunity for them to apply them: Street Fighter is coming back to your screens.

There’s no confirmation on what exactly Legendary Pictures, the production studio behind the new Dune movies and the recent Godzilla and Kong movies, is planning for the franchise, but it has acquired both the film and TV rights to the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter has been adapted a few different times: First, in the cult classic 1994 movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, and Ming-Na Wen, but also in 2009’s Legend of Chun LiThere are many animated versions, as well as fan films and online series.

Street Fighter’s latest project is the latest in a series of highly-publicized video game adaptations. HBO’s Last of Us Just wrapped its inaugural season, March. It Super Mario Bros.Movie This week’s premieres Uncharted Sonic the Hedgehog Have seen success at the box office, with many upcoming adaptations Silent Hill, Ghost of Tsushima, FalloutThere are many other options.

While there is no current director, Legendary has made the decision to hire someone with experience in stunt work. Former stuntmen are a hot commodity. They know the basics of action filmmaking, including choreography, blocking, lighting, editing, and the effects.

Chad Stahelski, with a few game adaptations included in his schedule, is booked. But having someone like Isaac Florentine and Jesse V. Johnson to help you direct-to-video veterans would be a great addition. Day Shift J.J. Perry, director (who will be involved in the action during the upcoming Blue BeetleOr Furies director Veronica Ngô, or any other of the litany of hard-working action professionals behind the camera could elevate Street Fighter To the type of action-centric franchise it demands. And it’s not just John Wick This proves that it can work. Netflix’s Chris Hemsworth-led success was one of the biggest in this direction. Extracting Sam Hargrave, a former stuntman, directed the film.

Warner Bros. Pictures

That brings us back to the topic of major video game adaptations, and there’s one that any Street Fighter adaptation would be well-served to avoid: 2021’s Mortal Kombat.

Warner Bros. published a 2021 revival of Mortal Kombat with Simon McQuoid’s directed Mortal Kombat. McQuoid was a veteran commercial director, who made his feature-film debut in Mortal KombatWith a script by Dave CallahamWonder Woman 1984, Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten RingsGreg Russo (first screenplay writer) Although Hiroyuki Samanada and Joe Taslim were great actors, the film was mediocre. Many fight scenes in the film were not recognized and it lacked the spark you expect from a movie. Mortal Kombat adaptation. It was also a Mortal Kombat movie without a Mortal Kombat tourney in it. I’m still mad about that part.

Image from New Line Home Video

It is nothing compared to the original campy. Mortal KombatIt was filled to the brim with lavish costumes and extravagant production, along with great fights that were essential to its story.

Paul W.S. Anderson was the director. Anderson had a who’s who of action cinema luminaries working with him on the original Mortal Kombat. Jeff Imada (The Bourne Series), Pat E. JohnsonKarate Kid) … the list goes on (Jesse V. Johnson, J.J. Perry, and Tony Jaa were all also involved, early in their careers). That’s because it’s not enough to just hire great fighters and put them on screen — having real martial artists playing Chun-Li, Ken, Ryu, and the rest is a bare minimum. Behind the scenes and in the edit room, you need people who get the essence of cinematic action.

Please, Street Fighter-addition, have fun! Add street fighting to your movie! You can hire people who are already in the action industry to help you make your film. This can really make a difference.