The martial arts videogame Sifu is heading to the movies, courtesy of Netflix and John Wick’s Chad Stahelski.
It’s been a couple of years since we heard that the popular beat ’em up videogame Sifu is getting the movie treatment. Back in 2022 when the news first surfaced, it seemed like a brilliant idea to us.
What makes Sifu stand out in a crowded field of brawlers, however, is a clever mechanic that ages the protagonist each time he’
s defeated. As he is defeated and ages, he returns to his quest for vengeance, becoming more seasoned and powerful as a martial arts practitioner, but also increasingly frail.
Eventually, if the player gets Sifu defeated too many times, he’ll become too wizened by age and will succumb to permanent death, unless of course they can complete the story in time. By the time you reach the end of Sifu’s lifespan, not only is the character the perfect embodiment of a ‘glass cannon’, but he also resembles the classic archetype of an aged kung-fu master, all long moustaches and iron-grey hair.
It’s easy to see how, in the hands of a talented group of filmmakers, the concept could brim with pathos and tragedy. The idea of revenge slowly destroying the one that seeks it is a story as old as time, but seeing that relentless thirst for vengeance physically atrophy a character as he goes on that journey? That could be a really powerful cinematic experience.
If it ever sees the inside of a cinema, that is.
According to Deadline, Netflix has now partnered with the project’s producers, Story Kitchen, to bring this feature film project to the streaming platform. Unless Greta Gerwig suddenly decides to direct it, that means Sifu will likely launch exclusively on Netflix and not get a cinema release.
However, the project does have one influential name now attached to it: Chad Stahelski. As if having one action videogame franchise on his slate (PlayStation Productions’ planned Ghost Of Tsushima adaptation) isn’t enough, Stahelski has now boarded Sifu as a producer, states the report.
As of yet, it looks like the project still doesn’t have a director, but it does have a new writer. Nobody and John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who was linked to adapt the script back in 2022 seems to have departed, while TS Nowlin, writer of The Maze Runner and The Adam Project is now working on the film. We still don’t yet know when to expect it, but when we do hear more, we’ll let you know.
If you’re intrigued, though, check out Secret Level's recent episode where the anthology of animated videogame adaptations featured an episode with a cinematic spin on the Sifu story. It’s short, but does an excellent job of outlining the story’s potential.
