The Street Fighter movie got a big cast reveal last week, giving fans a glimpse of what the movie might be when it hits theaters in October of next year. Some of the choices are inspired, while others are a bit more questionable, but it’s the things that have been left unsaid that I think are the most interesting.
Where’s Sagat?
The most obvious absence from the Street Fighter movie roster is Sagat, played by Wes Studi in the 1994 film. Sagat, if you’re unfamiliar with the Street Fighter lore, was the boss of the first game (wherein he received his chest scar from Ryu), and returned as M. Bison’s personal bodyguard and penultimate boss in the sequel.
Sagat is also integral to Dan’s storyline. It was Dan’s father Gou Hibiki, who gouged out Sagat’s eye in a fight. In his rage, Sagat killed Gou, which was the inciting event for all of Dan’s training. Without Sagat, the character of Dan doesn’t really have a purpose. He’s also one of the most iconic Street Fighter characters there is, so people are asking questions.
The best-case scenario is that the actor hasn’t been finalized yet, and there will be an announcement in the near future. The worst-case scenario is that he will be replaced by Joe — a speedbump in the original game who also happens to specialize in Muay Thai.
Where are Juni and T. Hawk?
One of the roles many casual Street Fighter fans may not be familiar with is Juli, played by Rayna Vallandingham. In Juli’s first in-game appearance (Street Fighter Alpha 3), she’s accompanied by Juni, and you have to fight the pair of them at the same time in order to get to Bison. Both characters are part of Bison’s elite guard unit, the Dolls, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to have one but not the other.
Juli is also the lover of T. Hawk (Super Street Fighter II). In T. Hawk’s ending in Alpha 3, he works to remove Juli’s Shadaloo brainwashing, and by the time of Street Fighter 6, they’re actually married. So where are these two pivotal figures in Juli’s back story, and what role will she play in the movie without their foundation?
Where are the missing actors?
There have been a lot of cast photos popping up on the socials, showing the actors having fun in the Australian sun, but there are some who are conspicuously absent. At the top of that list is Jason Momoa, who’s slotted to play Blanka. It could be he’s busy shooting for Supergirl, in which he’s cast as Lobo, or it could be (given the green skin and crazy attacks) that Blanka will be all CG.
Also missing from cast photos is Roman Reigns. This could be indicative of a few things, one being that Reigns (who will play Akuma) will have a very limited role in the movie. This kind of tracks since it doesn’t make sense to have two BBEGs in the movie. Perhaps Paramount is trying to set up a franchise, and Reigns is slated to be the baddie in the next movie? Or maybe, as I speculated with Momoa, Reigns’ role will be mostly CG?
Finally, where’s Rayna Vallandingham? As a health and martial arts influencer, she’s not shy in front of the camera, but she hasn’t been spotted in Australia. Seeing as Juli is ancillary to the main narrative in Street Fighter, it’s likely that her role will be limited, but there’s always the possibility of a Dolls subplot.
Who’s going to play Gouken?
If you pay close attention to the marketing images released to hype the cast, you’ll notice that 17 cast members were announced, but 18 character icons were shared. The unnamed character bears a striking resemblance to Gouken, Akuma’s older brother and the teacher of Dan, Ryu, and Ken. It’s unlikely (but possible) this was an oversight, so who’s going to play the part, and what will Gouken’s role be in the movie?
We’ve got a long wait ahead of us
There’s a long time between now and when the movie comes out, so we can only guess at what’s in store for us. We do know that the next movie will take place in 1993 and will center around Ryu (Andrew Koji), Ken (Noah Centineo), and Chun-Li (Callina Liang). The movie’s logline also says that they will have to face off against “the demons of their past,” so Street Fighter fans might get a dose of the lore they crave. Or we could get another so-bad-it’s-good disaster that plays fast and loose with the Street Fighter world. I’m down for either, honestly.
