Street Fighter is one of the most beloved franchises ever. Now, with adaptations of hit video games finally taken seriously in Hollywood (the days of Doom and Assassin's Creed are, fortunately, behind us), gamers are hugely excited for filmmaker Kitao Sakurai's upcoming adaptation.
We've yet to get a proper first look at this latest big screen adaptation beyond some behind-the-scenes photos, but WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes has just shared some new insights into the project (via TheRingReport.com).
The Undisputed WWE Champion will play Guile, a pilot in the United States Air Force whose goal is to destroy Shadaloo, a criminal organisation responsible for the downfall of his best friend, Charlie Nash. Joining him in the movie will be the man he beat for his title at WrestleMania 40, Roman Reigns (who takes on the role of Akuma).
"The cast with 'Street Fighter,' [Andrew] Koji who's Ryu, Noah [Centineo] is Ken, Callina [Liang] is Chun-Li. The three main characters of the Street Fighter game, they were there early," the American Nightmare explained. "They were really looking into everything, breaking down these scenes, this is fun action comedy, but taking it incredibly seriously."
"When the rest of us got there, 50 Cent is going to be Balrog, Andrew Schulz, whose performance is unbelievable as Dan Hibiki, which is Street Fighter's joke character."
"All of us get there, myself, Roman Reigns, we're all from outside worlds and coming in, leaders in our field, but he had us all sit down, the group I was with, and we watched a sizzle reel of edit they had already made. I felt like I was on a Little League sports team. The way he was leading it, it felt like that's my coach. Kitao [Sakurai], the director, that's my coach."
"They're asking us, 'Hey, look at what we've made in three weeks. Step up, guys.' I felt like I was ready to run through a brick wall," Rhodes continued, detailing some of the "intense" fight scenes he found himself in the midst of on set.
"I'd never been on wires, again wrestler, they're going to think, 'Oh, he can do some of this stuff," Rhodes, who played the villainous Derek Sampson in Arrow, explained. "Then you're like, 'Yeah, I don't know, maybe.' But Guile's flash kick, if it's in that movie, I wanted to get a shot at the flash kick. And I'd watched [Jean-Claude] Van Damme do it from the old school Street Fighter. The whole experience was really, really unique."
He later dropped a potential spoiler, saying he got to see several Street Fighter characters gathering in a "big centrepiece" that comes roughly midway through the movie.
Not every wrestler can act, but Rhodes is an exception and someone who is legitimately talented as an actor (you may have spotted him in The Naked Gun earlier this year). While we'd bet on many of his scenes being with Reigns—who, like his cousin, The Rock, before him, is looking to break into Hollywood—the WWE Superstar could be a scene-stealer.
Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s GAME OVER!
Helmed by director Kitao Sakurai, Street Fighter is set to bring the battle from the arcade to the big screen with Hadoukens, roundhouses, and all your favourite characters.
Street Fighter stars Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Andrew Koji as Ryu, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa’i as Akuma, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki, Eric André as Don Sauvage, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, with Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Balrog and Jason Momoa as Blanka.
The supporting cast includes Orville Peck as Vega, Olivier Richters as Zangief, Hirooki Goto as E. Honda, Rayna Vallandingham as Juli, Alexander Volkanovski as Joe, Kyle Mooney as Marvin, and Mel Jarnson as Cammy.
Street Fighter is set to be released in theaters on October 16, 2026.