The directing team behind Talk To Me have departed the Street Fight movie, over scheduling problems. More here.
Over a year since they were announced as the directors of a new Street Fighter project, Danny and Michael Philippou – aka RackaRacka – have exited the film. Scheduling conflicts are said to be the issue, with Legendary Entertainment keen to move the project immediately on whereas in the short term, the Philippou brothers are committed to make Bring Her Back for A24. That’s a film which is set to enter production imminently.
All puns about knockout blows aside, this report is something of a setback for the project. The Philippous are riding high off the success of their last project, 2023’s body horror success, Talk To Me, and seemed like an excellent fit for a film set in the world of Street Fighter. Not only were the brothers able to make a little money go a long way when it came to the production of Talk To Me, the film also managed to deftly avoid falling into campiness as events became increasing horrific.
Given that the last live action mainline Street Fighter film we got was riddled with 90s camp, the Philippous seemed like a solid fit to ensure that this time around, things would be different. That’s no small order given the inherent wackiness of Street Fighter's premise, which sees colourful characters from around the world perform over-the-top martial arts moves to prove their supremacy in a global fighting tournament.
Read more: Talk To Me review | Tantalising teen horror
However, it looks as though Legendary and Capcom (the creators of the Street Fighter videogame series) are so keen to press ahead that the studio isn’t willing to wait for the Philippous. The duo are about to embark on the production of Bring Her Back for A24 which will star Sally Hawkins. It means that the search for a new Street Fighter director is underway, with The Hollywood Reporter suggesting that the hunt is on for a filmmaker who can begin immediately.
Perhaps in the long run, erring away from a big studio picture made in collaboration with a product-oriented company might be for the best, as the filmmakers look to continue building their career. The horrendous stories of the production of 1994’s Street Fighter are a clear warning of the pitfalls that come when dealing with this kind of movie, and when all is said and done, perhaps the brothers will be glad they opted for their smaller, more personal project.
We’ll bring you more on the Street Fighter movie as we hear it.
