Street Fighter Movie Taps Kitao Sakurai as Director

The planned live-action update of the Street Fighter franchise has found its director, per The Hollywood Reporter. THR reports that Kitao Sakurai (The Eric Andre Show) has landed the directing gig for the new Street Fighter feature from Legendary Entertainment and Capcom.

Capcom is reportedly deeply involved with the new film adaptation, with Legendary co-developing and co-producing the project alongside the iconic gaming franchise’s longtime developer and publisher. The film is being planned for a March 2026 release from Sony Pictures.

Street Fighter made its arcade debut in 1987, later revolutionizing the arcade fighting game scene with Street Fighter II, which released in 1991. The game offered a roster of characters, fighting techniques, and special moves, revolutionizing 1v1 gameplay. The franchise has endured for several decades, with its latest installment, Street Fighter 6, releasing in June 2023 and winning Best Fighting Game at the 2023 Game Awards.

This will mark the third attempt at adapting the franchise as a live-action feature. The first attempt was the infamous 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile and the late Raul Julia as Bison, directed by Steven E. de Souza. While the movie was badly reviewed and not a commercial success, it has since gained a cult following. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was released in 2009, starring Kristin Kreuk as the titular Chun-Li. The film was a critical and commercial flop.

Sakurai now helms the project after a previous incarnation was set with directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me). Sakurai also recently collaborated with Eric Andre for the comedy, Bad Trip, which he also co-wrote and directed. The film debuted on Netflix in 2021. His other credits include serving as executive producer for the second season of Beef for Netflix and A24, and directing the pilot and several episodes of the Amazon Prime Video series Butterfly. He also directed several episodes of Twisted Metal Peacock, another live-action video game adaptation.

Street Fighter is slated for March 20, 2026 release.