A Live-Action ‘Street Fighter’ TV Series Is in Development
The Street Fighter franchise already piledrived (piledrove?) our hearts with two glorious live-action films, and TV might be next. eOne has reportedly begun development on a TV adaptation of the classic video game franchise, recruiting the team from live-action web series Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist.
Per Deadline, the new Street Fighter series will follow the “World Warrior” storyline from 1991 video game sequel Street Fighter II, and feature Ryu, Ken, Guile and Chun-Li as protagonists. Executive producing will be Joey Ansah, Jacqueline Quella and Mark Wooding of the twelve-episode Machinima series Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, which nabbed upwards of 16 million viewers in its 2014 run. The trio were reportedly planning a sequel around the World Warrior premise, which has now become eOne’s version. Here’s a synopsis:
Together, [Ryu, Ken, Guile and Chun-Li] fight to take down M. Bison, the evil mastermind who runs Shadaloo, a global criminal organization. Though on different journeys, our heroes’ paths will cross as they are drawn into the World Warrior Tournament, a competition devised by M. Bison to find the most powerful and capable fighter in the world. On the journey they come to share, they must draw on their strength, skills, intelligence and loyalty in a battle to survive and emerge as the World Warrior.
The series does not yet have any kind of distribution, but here’s what eOne boss Mark Gordon had to say:
Street Fighter is a global tour de force franchise, having garnered immense worldwide commercial success and built a vast devoted fanbase that has only grown through its 30 year legacy. We are thrilled to be teaming up with Joey, Jacqueline and Mark, who are already so deeply connected to this brand, to bring this adored story to television audiences everywhere. A particular strength of Street Fighter is the wide range of ethnically diverse characters and powerful women featured in the game. It will allow us to build an inclusive and engaging TV universe.
Street Fighter has made the leap to movies and TV before; most famously with the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme movie that co-starred Raúl Juliá, Ming-Na and more. Subsequent 2009 reboot Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li famously bombed with a cast of Smallville star Kristen Kreuk, Arrow baddie Neal McDonough, Chris Klein and Michael Clarke Duncan. The franchise has also spawned numerous animated series.
Time will tell where the proposed series might end up, but what does a live-action Street Fighter need to thrive?
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