Original Street Fighter Movie Directors Reveal Why They Left (& What They Had Planned) (Exclusive)

The directors behind Bring Her Back are detailing why they had to step away from a live-action Street Fighter movie. Danny and Michael Philippou made a name for themselves as filmmakers with entertaining YouTube content. Their lives changed forever when their 2022 supernatural horror film, Talk to Me, became a rousing success. It was their directorial debut, and A24 acquired and distributed Talk to Me after a bidding war broke out during its Sundance premiere. Next up for the Philippou Brothers is another horror film, Bring Her Back, but first, they’re looking back at why they had to step away from Street Fighter.

ComicBook spoke to Bring Her Back directors Danny and Michael Philippou, as well as the cast of the movie. We asked the filmmakers about Street Fighter to learn what they had planned, as well as their reasons for stepping away from the project.

“We were having so much fun developing it. I was traveling around Thailand, looking for the real Sagat, going to muay thai camps, training with people while writing. We had ideas,” Michael Philippou said. “We had a solid outline. We were developing the fight sequences. We can’t say too much as to what they were. It was just a scheduling thing. The timing just didn’t line up, but we love Legendary, and they’re still going ahead with it, so we’re excited to watch it.”

[RELATED: Talk to Me Director Offers Sequel Update (And Fans Won’t Be Happy)]

Street Fighter is indeed moving forward, with reports this week stating that the movie is looking to add Jason Momoa (Aquaman), WWE star Roman Reigns, Noah Centineo (Warfare), and Andrew Koji (Bullet Train) to the cast. Their roles haven’t officially been revealed, though Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful said that he’s heard that Reigns is set to play Akuma. As far as who the other actors could be playing, Andrew Koji could be a great fit for Ryu, while Noah Centineo would play a great Ken. As for Momoa, his physique would make him a great fit for someone like Blanka, a role not unlike his upcoming take on Lobo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. 

Jason Momoa was just in A Minecraft Movie, another video game adaptation, that was a massive hit at the box office. During the press tour, he noted that Ryu and Blanka were his favorite Street Fighter characters, so it’s possible he is playing one of those two characters, but Blanka seems like the most plausible of the two.

After the departures of Danny and Michael Philippou, Street Fighter tapped Kitao Sakurai as the new director. He has video game experience on his resume, directing multiple episodes of Peacock’s Twisted Metal. In addition to Twisted Metal, Sakurai directed the Netflix film Bad Trip, and was both director and executive producer on The Eric Andre Show.

Legendary’s Street Fighter will be the third attempt by Hollywood at adapting the Capcom fighting game franchise. In 1994, Universal Pictures released the first Street Fighter movie, which was directed by Steven E. de Souza and starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, and Ming-Na Wen. The movie was a critical flop, but has gained greater appreciation in recent years. In 2009, a second attempt at Street Fighter was released in theaters, titled Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. That film was panned by critics and audiences alike.

Bring Her Back opens in theaters on May 30th.