It seems the upcoming Street Fighter movie could end up featuring (at least) two WWE Superstars.
Following yesterday's news that David Dastmalchian has joined the cast of Legendary's live-action video game adaptation as the villainous M. Bison, we're hearing that another key role may have been filled, with Nexus Point News reporting that Cody Rhodes is now in talks to play Guile.
Known for his signature flat-top haircut and Sonic Boom projectile, William Guile debuted as one of the original eight World Warriors in 1991's Street Fighter II. The tough, no-nonsense US Air Force Colonel made it his mission to take down Bison and his Shadaloo criminal empire following the death of his friend, Charlie Nash.
Guile was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme in the '90s movie.
Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo have reportedly closed their deals to play the co-lead roles of Ryu and Ken, respectively, and Jason Momoa and WWE pro-wrestler Roman Reigns (real name Leati Joseph Anoaʻi) are also said to be in negotiations.
Reigns is believed to be in line to play the villainous Akuma, the man who killed Ryu and Ken's trainer and his own older brother Gouken, while several sources are reporting that Momoa will take on the role of green-skinned fan-favorite, Blanka. The cast also includes Callina Liang as Chun-Li, 50 Cent as Balrog, and Orville Peck as Vega.
Though numerous characters have been introduced over the years, Ryu and his best friend/rival Ken Masters have remained at the forefront of the Street Fighter video game franchise. Both fighters have very similar move sets, including the Dragon Punch and "Hadoken" fireball.
Capcom's Street Fighter series remains one of the most popular fighting games franchises of all time, but hasn't fared very well with live-action adaptations up until now. The 1994 movie starring Van Damme and Kylie Minogue has amassed a cult following over the years, but is still widely regarded as a misfire, and the less said about 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li the better!
We know next to nothing about this latest take on the property, so it's impossible to say whether it will break the trend.
Director Kitao Sakurai, who stepped in to replace original helmers Danny and Michael Philippou, is probably best known for writing, directing and exec producing The Eric Andre Show, and has also directed the pilot and several episodes of the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series Butterfly, as well as episodes of Peacock’s video game adaptation Twisted Metal.
What do you make of his casting news? Do you think Cody Rhodes would be a good pick for Guile? Let us know in the comments section down below.