Street Fighter Movie 2026

Street Fighter, a saga that began in 1987, is set to continue on the big screen in 2026. The upcoming film, slated for an October release, won’t just be about martial arts—it will explore the inner demons haunting its protagonists.

The plot is set in 1993. Ryu and Ken Masters are called back into action when the mysterious Chun-Li recruits them for the upcoming World Warrior Tournament. But behind the competition lies a conspiracy that forces them into a direct confrontation.

The Protagonists:

1. Ryu – Andrew Koji The eternal wanderer, the very essence of the Street Fighter. Ryu seeks perfection through combat, much like a monk seeks it through prayer. Andrew Koji’s performance promises to capture that inner tension—the conflict between humanity and martial perfection. His search for the ultimate meaning of fighting is his own personal Metamorphosis.

2. Ken Masters – Noah Centineo The other side of the coin. Ken, Ryu's former best friend, is the Street Fighter who chose a "normal" life. But what does normalcy mean for someone with battle in their blood? Centineo brings that American duality: wealth and privilege versus the authenticity of the fight. "Only when I’m fighting does everything feel real," he might say, echoing a Kafkaesque sensibility.

3. Chun-Li – Callina Liang The first female fighter of the saga, Chun-Li represents justice in motion. Her grief over her father's death is sublimated into a deadly dance. Her determination is as elegant as it is lethal. Liang must bring to the screen the combination of grace and power that made Chun-Li iconic.

4. Akuma – Roman Reigns The personification of the darkness lurking at the heart of martial arts. Akuma has embraced the destructive side of combat, renouncing his own humanity. Roman Reigns, with his imposing physical presence, embodies that sense of corrupted power that makes Akuma more than just an antagonist—he is a warning.

5. M. Bison – David Dastmalchian The ultimate villain, a massive ego seeking to bend the world to his will. Dastmalchian must capture the essence of a charismatic megalomaniac—that corrupted psychic energy that makes Bison as fascinating as he is terrifying. The sickness of absolute power, expressed through a body used as a vessel for boundless ambition.

6. Guile – Cody Rhodes The American soldier with the signature flattop hair. Rhodes brings a military energy—a discipline that stands in contrast to Ryu’s spiritual approach. His quest for revenge against Bison is as personal as it is patriotic. He wears an emotional armor that hides deep vulnerabilities.

7. Dan Hibiki – Andrew Schulz The parody who became a beloved character. Dan is the underdog—the man who dreams of greatness but lacks the skills. Yet, his sheer determination makes him strangely heroic. Schulz will have to balance the comedic with the pathetic, creating empathy for this eternal loser.

8. Blanka – Jason Momoa The wild beast with a human heart. Momoa, with his massive physicality, must make this duality believable: a man transformed into a monster by science, yet still holding onto his humanity. It is like a Kafkaesque Metamorphosis in reverse—a beastly shell hiding a man.

9. Balrog – Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson The corrupt boxer, the athlete who chose easy money. Jackson must portray that controlled rage—the hunger that makes Balrog as dangerous in the ring as he is vulnerable to Bison’s manipulations. A wasted talent; a compromised morality.

10. Vega – Orville Peck The lethal narcissist, the matador of death. Beauty and violence wrapped into one. Peck must capture the "aesthetic of cruelty"—a cult of beauty that hides a disturbed psyche. The physical mask he wears is merely a reflection of his psychological ones.

11. Zangief – Olivier Richters The Soviet colossus, a mountain of muscle with a patriotic soul. Richters has the physical stature to play this giant, but he must also show the simplicity that makes Zangief so well-loved. Brute force that becomes almost childlike in its expression.

12. E. Honda – Hirooki Goto The sumo wrestler, Japanese honor in human form. Goto represents a thousand-year tradition through a character seeking to bring sumo to the world stage. The dignity of an ancient culture confronting the modern world.

13. Dhalsim – Vidyut Jammwal The mystic yogi, a man who fights for peace. A living contradiction. Jammwal must express the spirituality that permeates Dhalsim’s every move—the inner conflict of one who uses violence to promote non-violence. An ancient philosophy manifesting through supernatural powers.

14. Juli – Rayna Vallandingham One of Bison’s "Dolls," warriors programmed to obey. Vallandingham must show the tension between conditioning and freedom—the gradual awakening of a stolen soul. A body turned into a tool of oppression that still hides sparks of resistance.

15. Joe – Alexander Volkanovski A fighter returning from the saga's earliest chapters, Joe represents the link to the origins. Volkanovski embodies a respect for tradition—a connection to the original essence of Street Fighter that risks being lost in modernity.

16. Don Sauvage – Eric André A new character created for the film, Sauvage represents the unknown—the wild card that keeps the audience on edge. André, with his eccentric energy, could turn this newcomer into a catalyst for chaos in the orderly world of the tournament.

17. Cammy – Mel Jarnson The British agent, a warrior with a dark past linked to Bison. Jarnson must capture a cold determination while revealing the vulnerability of someone discovering the truth about her own existence. A body trained to kill, searching for its soul.

When Kitao Sakurai took the reins of this project, he inherited not just a video game franchise, but a complex narrative universe. The film, shot in Australia, aims to go beyond simple fight choreography, seeking to explore the personal tensions that make every confrontation meaningful.

Street Fighter is scheduled for theatrical release on October 16, 2026.