The streets are empty for Danny and Michael Philippou.
The Australian twin filmmaking duo behind last year’s surprise horror hit Talk to Me are no longer working on Street Fighter, Legendary’s feature adaptation of the classic video game from Capcom.
Scheduling is partly to blame, according to sources. Legendary and Capcom were hoping to begin sooner than later. The Philippous, however, shifted focus to Bring Her Back, which reteams with their Talk to Me studio A24. That project, which will star Sally Hawkins and Billy Barratt, begins shooting later this month in Australia.
Street Fighter is now looking for a new filmmaker.
Street Fighter is one of the more enduring fighting video game franchises of all time. It began life with the 1987 arcade game Street Fighter, and set a high water mark for arcade fighting games with Street Fighter II. The game, released in 1991, was the first to offer a choice of characters and fighting techniques, revolutionizing one-on-one play.
Street Fighter II became a phenomenon, with Capcom unleashing countless special editions and remakes. In all, the franchise has sold 49 million units worldwide, with a new installment, Street Fighter 6, came out last year. The franchise was adapted into a 1994 movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, while a 2009 feature Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li starred Kristin Kreuk.
