If you wondering why videogame movies never work, then look no further than Street Fighter. In 1994 it was turned into a movie starring Jean Claude Van Damme… and it sucked. It didn't just suck, it flopped. So, rather than learn from that lesson and perhaps consider focusing on games with some sort of story to them beyond punching and kicking, Hollywood is just doing it over again. Literally. Hyde Park Entertainment is making a new Street Figher movie.
Variety says Justin Marks has been hired to write it, with the story to focus primarily on the movie's most popular female fighter Chun Li. Maybe they're hoping to start some sort of DOA thing with her, I don't know. Ten years ago when Street Fighter was still relevant, calling her the game's most popular female fighter is kind of like calling George Bush America's most popular president currently in office. God forbid they should focus on a character anyone cares about. Blanka for instance? Or perhaps I should say used to care about. Ten years is a long time out of the spotlight for anything, let alone a pretty plot-thin fighting game.
Justin Marks seems to be making a career out of rehashing the 80s and early 90s. He's just finished writing a Voltron movie. Voltron was great in it's time, but since then it's been copied (badly) by Power Rangers. It's not really any more relevant than Street Fighter these days.
I'm not sure what Hyde Park hopes to accomplish here. They can't actually expect to make money. Microsoft can't find people willing to believe in Halo, and there's a game with a thick story and a massive fanbase. They've got to be out of their mind to think they'll make something out of the long defunct Street Fighter franchise. It was bad enough the first time thanks.
