The news comes following Dunst’s comments last August that she’d like to be a part of the ‘Minecraft’ follow-up since her kids love it and, “maybe I can just make a movie where I don’t lose money?”
(Left) David Dastmalchian in ‘Murderbot,’ premiering May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+. (Right) Raúl Juliá in 1994’s ‘Street Fighter’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Preview:
‘Dune’s David Dastmalchian is joining the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie.
He’ll play the big bad, M. Bison.
Kitao Sakurai is in the director’s chair.
The cast for the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie is really starting to come together at last.
And the latest addition, per Deadline, ‘Dune’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ actor David Dastmalchian, who has scored his biggest role yet, playing the scheming, powerful villain M. Bison, a stalwart of the games and its various adaptations.
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Dastmalchian’s casting marks the latest positive step forward for the new movie, which is slowly coming together via Legendary Entertainment and Sony Pictures.
The games revolve around an international martial arts tournament where fighters from around the world compete to prove their strength and abilities. This is a franchise that gained massive popularity with the release of ‘Street Fighter II’ in 1991, which introduced revolutionary mechanics such as combo attacks and special moves, and greatly influenced arcade and home console gaming.
Subsequent titles have expanded the game’s universe, introducing new characters, complex storylines, and enhanced graphics and gameplay mechanics, so there are potentially rich pickings for anyone looking to adapt it.
Which brings us to the 1994 movie, which didn’t exactly cover itself in glory, but has a fanbase. It starred the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-Na Wen, Simon Callow and, in a somewhat more surprising addition, Kylie Minogue (who, let’s not forget, pursued acting before becoming a pop megastar).
More recent was 2009’s ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,’ directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. That one starred Kristin Kreuk as the title character, who as a child witnesses her father being captured by wealthy gangster Bison. When she grows up, she goes into a quest for justice and bring down his criminal organization known as Shadaloo.
If you haven’t really heard of that one, you’re not alone –– made for $18 million by Hyde Park Entertainment, it took in around $12 million worldwide and failed to make much of an impact in pop culture.
There was also an animated series, which got a better reception than either movie, but still didn’t really break out.
What has happened with the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie so far?
Michael Philippou and Danny Philippou direct ‘Talk to Me.’
The latest attempt at bringing ‘Street Fighter’ to screens has been in the works for a couple of years, since Legendary announced its acquisition of live-action film and TV rights back in 2023.
In that time, it has been through at least one set of directors, as ‘Talk to Me’ sibling duo Danny and Michael Philippou hopped aboard in April of that year, only to depart after a few months of development.
Kitao Sakurai, who previously directed 2021 buddy comedy/prank movie ‘Bad Trip,’ was hired in February, and is still attached.
Who else is aboard the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie?
Jason Momoa arriving for the Amazon Upfront on May 13th, 2025. Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Amazon.
The movie already features a clutch of names, from A-listers to athletes and musicians.
Jason Momoa is confirmed to play Blanka, a feral man with green skin who comes from the Brazilian jungle.
Wrestler Roman Reigns is Akuma, a villainous type who defeated his brother, who happens to be Ryu and Ken’s master.
Fellow WWE veteran Cody Rhodes has the part of Guile, a US Air Force pilot and brawler who has sworn to take down Shadaloo.
Country singer Orville Peck will be Vega, who in the game is a masked claw fighter from Spain who uses a personal fighting style combining Japanese ninjutsu and Spanish bullfighting.
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will play Balrog, a disgraced boxer who is also the bodyguard of Bison. He’s reportedly training to perform his own stunts for the movie.
Coming up, he has the likes of the movies ‘Dust Bunny’, ‘Sender’ and ‘The Cure’ and has a role in the next season of Netflix’s ‘One Piece’.
When will the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie hit theaters?
Despite the growing cast ranks and the presence of a director, Sony and Legendary are looking to avoid the mistakes of the past and haven’t planted a flag for this one just yet.
Which makes sense given ‘Street Fighter’s somewhat tortuous development history. This one might actually have a fighting chance.
Raúl Juliá in 1994’s ‘Street Fighter’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Other Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Street Fighter’ Franchise
Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji and Roman Reigns are in talks for ‘Street Fighter.’
Legendary has ‘Bad Trip’ director Kitao Sakurai on board.
The movie will adapt the popular video game.
At a time when video game movies are enjoying a true renaissance, with box office hits (‘A Minecraft Movie’) and critical adulation (HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’), one title is seeking to undo at least two attempts’ worth of bad publicity.
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‘Street Fighter,’ which adapts the hugely successful Capcom console and home entertainment system game franchise, has been through the wringer in the past (see below for details on the two largely unsuccessful movies spawned from it), but Legendary and the games company is hoping for better things from a fresh iteration.
The games revolve around an international martial arts tournament where fighters from around the world compete to prove their strength and abilities. This is a franchise that gained massive popularity with the release of ‘Street Fighter II’ in 1991, which introduced revolutionary mechanics such as combo attacks and special moves, and greatly influenced arcade and home console gaming.
Subsequent titles have expanded the game’s universe, introducing new characters, complex storylines, and enhanced graphics and gameplay mechanics, so there are potentially rich pickings for anyone looking to adapt it.
Which brings us to the 1994 movie, which didn’t exactly cover itself in glory, but has a fanbase. It starred the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-Na Wen, Simon Callow and, in a somewhat more surprising addition, Kylie Minogue (who, let’s not forget, pursued acting before becoming a pop megastar).
More recent was 2009’s ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,’ directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. That one starred Kristin Kreuk as the title character, who as a child witnesses her father being captured by wealthy gangster Bison. When she grows up, she goes into a quest for justice and bring down his criminal organization known as Shadaloo.
If you haven’t really heard of that one, you’re not alone –– made for $18 million by Hyde Park Entertainment, it took in around $12 million worldwide and failed to make much of an impact in pop culture.
There was also an animated series, which got a better reception than either movie, but still didn’t really break out.
What has happened with the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie so far?
Michael Philippou and Danny Philippou direct ‘Talk to Me.’
The latest attempt at bringing ‘Street Fighter’ to screens has been in the works for a couple of years, since Legendary announced its acquisition of live-action film and TV rights back in 2023.
In that time, it has been through at least one set of directors, as ‘Talk to Me’ sibling duo Danny and Michael Philippou hopped aboard in April of that year, only to depart after a few months of development.
Kitao Sakurai, who previously directed 2021 buddy comedy/prank movie ‘Bad Trip,’ was hired in February, and is still attached.
Where else have we seen the cast?
Jason Momoa arriving for the Amazon Upfront on May 13th, 2025. Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Amazon.
Jason Momoa surely needs no introduction, as he’s been busy for years. He’s worked on giant franchises such as the DCEU (where he was Aquaman, including in his own successful movies) and the ‘Fast & Furious’ universe, playing flamboyant villain Dante.
Notable upcoming movies include ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ (with Momoa playing Lobo), ‘The Wrecking Crew’ and manuscript crime mystery ‘Hand of Dante’ (no, nothing to do with his ‘Fast’ role.) He’s also co-created and stars in new Apple TV+ show ‘Chief of War.’
When will the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie hit theaters?
While Sony and Legendary (tellingly, the former is no longer mentioned in reports on the movie) announced last year that ‘Street Fighter’ would land in theaters on March 20th next year, the fact that the cast are only now in talks and there’s no current word on a writer or a producer makes us think that we’ll be waiting a little longer for this one.
‘Street Fighter: The Animated Series’ (1995)
Other Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Street Fighter’ Franchise
Henry Cavill will join the list of actors who have played the iconic literary detective Sherlock Holmes. He has boarded Legendary Entertainment’s “Enola Holmes” adaptation, Deadline reports. As the character, he’ll star alongside Millie Bobby Brown and Helena Bonham Carter.
The upcoming film is based on Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes Mysteries series. Her novels center on another detective named Holmes — Enola, the younger sister of Sherlock. Springer created the character for her books, the first of which debuted in 2006.
The movie adaptation’s script was written by Jack Thorne, and Harry Bradbeer will direct. Brown is set to play Enola Holmes, while Bonham Carter will portray her mother. Brown is also producing alongside Paige Brown via PCMA Productions. Meanwhile, Alex Garcia and Ali Mendes are overseeing for Legendary.
Cavill has starred in a number of high-profile projects in recent years. Some of his recent films include “Mission Impossible: Fallout,” “Justice League,” and “Sand Castle.” Additionally, he has a main role in the upcoming Netflix fantasy drama “The Witcher.”
The multi-hyphenate has signed on to write and direct the reboot, Variety reports. Legendary acquired the film rights in December and is reportedly prioritizing the project. The reboot will mark yet another return of the original Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman-directed film; it has previously inspired three sequels, an animated series, and even a musical.
A superhero horror comedy, “The Toxic Avenger” centered on Melvin Ferd (Mark Torgl), a physically weak man whose encounter with bullies led him to fall into toxic waste. The incident ultimately gave him superhuman abilities, and he then went on to battle bad guys. Plot details for the reboot have not been revealed.
Kaufman co-wrote the original with Joe Ritter, and now it is Blair who will do the job. His writing credits already include 2018’s “Hold the Dark” and 2017’s “Small Crimes” and “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.” He directed the latter and also appeared in all three.
Kaufman and Herz are returning to produce the reboot via Troma Entertainment. They’ll be joined by Legendary’s Alex Garcia and Jay Ashenfelter.
We’re off to see the Wizard — or if not the Wizard, at least the Land of Oz.
Legendary Entertainment has a new project in the works that journeys to L. Frank Baum’s Oz, Variety reports. The untitled series will take place in the land Baum introduced in his 1900 children’s book “The Wonderful World of Oz.” It became the backdrop for 14 of the author’s full-length novels.
Ed Ricourt (“Jessica Jones”; “Wayward Pines”) has been charged with writing and producing the series. He’ll introduce new characters ad tell new stories, including that of a young servant who may gain power in the turbulent times following the return of a previously exiled Witch.
Ricourt is a long-time Baum fan. He said that the series has “influenced [him] creatively since childhood,” per Variety, and expressed his eagerness to offer his take on Baum’s Oz series. He also tweeted that he’s “beyond excited” for the project.
There’s no director attached to the series yet, but Legendary is reportedly close to bringing one on board. The person will work with Ricourt, along with dj2 Entertainment’s Dmitri M. Johnson and Stephan Bugaj, who are executive producing.
We can’t wait to see where the Yellow Brick Road leads.
The film is a reboot of David Lynch’s 1984 sci-fi flick of the same name, which is based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel “Dune.” The story takes place in the future on a desert planet called Arrakis, where the family of a man named Paul Atreides (Chalamet) is in power. When Atreides is betrayed, he must battle with rival noble families to regain control. Momoa’s character is Duncan Idaho, a swordmaster and close ally of Chalamet’s father (Isaac).
Momoa has seen his career pick up over the last several years. His resume includes TV roles in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and Netflix’s “Frontier,” along with parts in the films “Braven,” “Justice League,” and “Once Upon a Time in Venice.”
Denis Villeneuve (“Blade Runner 2049”) is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts. He is producing alongside Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, while the executive producers are Kim Herbert, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Thomas Tull. Kevin J. Anderson serves as a creative consultant.
Legendary Entertainment, the studio that specializes in big budget, high concept fare like “Pacific Rim,” “300” and “Skyscraper,” have just acquired the rights to the low budget superhero franchise “The Toxic Avenger,” per Variety. Original producers Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz will executive produce this new, undoubtedly much more expensive version of the character.
“The Toxic Avenger” originated as a 1984 drive-in movie about a mild-mannered janitor at a health spa who, after being exposed to toxic materials, becomes a mutated superhero, standing up for the meek and powerless. Herz and Kaufman directed. The original film has a lot of left-handed charm and a nicely handmade quality, combining elements of superhero films with the more raucuous, B-movie fare that Kaufman specialized in (meaning geysers of gore and lots of bare breasts). The movie was followed by two sequels in 1989 (made up of footage originally intended for a single film), “The Toxic Avenger Part II” and “The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie,” as well as a fourth film, “Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV” (released in 2000). It also inspired an animated series, “Toxic Crusaders,” and a stage musical that is still touring the world (it was last staged in London in 2017). In its own way, “The Toxic Avenger” is its own multifaceted franchise.
Kaufman recounts in his book, which is equal parts memoir and how-to guide, “All I Needed to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger” (written with his then-protégé James Gunn), that he was courted by New Line Cinema for the big screen remake rights to “The Toxic Avenger.” He thought negotiations were going well and he was excited about the character entering the mainstream until, whoops, New Line made a different deal for a very similar set of characters, both of them altered forever by toxic waste and turned into freaky superheroes and the deal with Kaufman was off. That other deal was, of course, for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” which became a box office sensation while “The Toxic Avenger” was reduced to relative B-movie obscurity.
Now with the Legendary deal, it seems like Kaufman and Herz could get the big-screen Toxie adventure they’ve wanted since the late 1980s. Bring it on. The world needs him.
Leatherface lives! And he might be coming to your television.
The “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise has been looking for a new home since Lionsgate’s tepid release of the prequel flick “Leatherface” last year. Bloody Disgusting reports that Legendary Pictures (the production company behind the “Godzilla” and “King Kong” movies) is on the verge of signing a deal with the 1974 film’s writer/producer Kim Henkel.
And Legendary doesn’t just want to develop more movies; the company also wants to take “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” to the small screen and develop a series.
Even more exciting for horror fans is that Legendary is close to renewing a distribution deal with Warner Bros., the parent company to New Line Cinema, which owns “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and Freddy Krueger. And possibly will control the rights to the “Friday the 13th” franchise (pending a lawsuit).
All speculation of course, until the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed.
