Fighting game adaptations are some of the campiest, most absurd films in the already generally pretty absurd game-to-movie oeuvre. Films like the Mortal Kombat series, Dead or Alive, and the 1994 Street Fighter all possess a kind of so-bad-they’re-good ridiculousness that has made them cult classic guilty pleasures. Part of that is because, in narrative terms, the source material they’re drawing from is barely strung together to begin with, since in most fighting games the plot is there just to bring a series of memorable weirdos together to beat each other up. Those characters are the most interesting part, so casting actors who can bring all their bizarre sensibilities to life is key. That’s probably why the cast for the upcoming Street Fighter reboot reads like a randomly generated ensemble made up of some truly surprising picks.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, rapper, actor, and occasional video game star 50 Cent is joining the cast as Balrog, the boxer who made his debut in Street Fighter II back in 1991. 50 Cent isn’t the only musician-turned-actor set to star in the film next year. Masked country singer Orville Peck is set to make his feature film debut as the masked fighter Vega after taking on a handful of theatre roles in recent years. Other actors include Mr. Minecraft himself, Jason Momoa, as the eccentric creature Blanka, WWE star Roman Reigns as Akuma, Callina Lianga as Chun-Li, and Reacher star Alan Ritchson as Guile. Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo are also on board to play the leading rivals Ryu and Ken.
What a strange group. I’m a Street Fighter fan, so I was probably going to see this movie whether it was good or bad, but this line-up makes me all the more interested to see what kind of monstrosity Legendary Entertainment could be creating in its lab. If it’s good, great! If it’s bad, it will have to live up to the disastrous delight that is the 1994 film. I need the first trailer to drop as soon as possible. I sense the makings of a new Bad Movie Night staple.