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Original Street Fighter director hopeful about new film

Hollywood scribe Steven E. de Souza knows bad movies. Occasional hits like Die Hard and 48 Hrs. aside, the writer and producer's career has seen an abundance of critically panned stinkers, including The Flintstones, Judge Dredd, Hudson Hawk, and Beverly Hills Cop III. But arguably the worst...

Hollywood scribe Steven E. de Souza knows bad movies. Occasional hits like Die Hard and 48 Hrs. aside, the writer and producer's career has seen an abundance of critically panned stinkers, including The Flintstones, Judge Dredd, Hudson Hawk, and Beverly Hills Cop III. But arguably the worst received production he's ever been involved in is his writing and directorial effort Street Fighter, the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme action flick based on Capcom's beloved series of fighting games.

Some 15 years after that movie made its infamous mark, Capcom is taking another stab at turning its flagship franchise into a feature film with next year's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. And with the bar set so low from the first outing, it's of little surprise that many are expecting a better movie--including de Souza himself.

Speaking to MTV Movies Blog, de Souza said the new film's focus on just one character from the series should address many of the problems with the original production.

"When we were making the original one, they insisted that all of the characters be in the movie," de Souza told the blog. "And if you do the math, that gives you about seven minutes per character if you split it up equally."

In addition to the entire existing cast from the Street Fighter series, de Souza said he was made to include yet another character--Captain Sawada--partway through the making of the film. Original PlayStation and Sega Saturn gamers may remember Sawada from the film's game adaptation, the misleadingly titled Street Fighter: The Movie. Already distressed at having to cram so many characters into one film, de Souza said he begged at the time to be allowed to put off some of the appearances for "the sequel."

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li will star Kristin Kreuk in the title role, with a supporting cast featuring Michael Clark Duncan as Balrog, Neal McDonough as M. Bison, and Chris Klein as Nash. Directing the project is Andrzej Bartkowiak, the man behind the lens on Doom and Cradle 2 The Grave.

76 Comments

  • DillTurnips

    Posted Jul 3, 2011 10:27 am GMT

    i liked the first Street Fighter...havent seen this one yet

  • Dixteel

    Posted Oct 22, 2008 2:05 pm GMT

    man...what's wrong with Capcom...letting people tarnish their brand.

  • firehawk998

    Posted Oct 16, 2008 11:31 pm GMT

    I agree with xraystar they shoul cast ZHANG ZIYI as Chu Li.

  • Dshenlong

    Posted Oct 16, 2008 8:23 pm GMT

    The guy who directed Doom and Cradle 2 the Grave is making this movie? And the girl from Smallville (who isnt even Chinese, like Chun-Li) is playing the lead role?

    This might actually...be worse than the first one. At least they had ONE person who knew martial arts (JCVD) This movie is going to be horrrrible. Why Capcom Why?

    Oh yeah, and to 035Dragon, Hudson Hawk was definately Awesome!

  • mugupo

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 2:47 am GMT

    Actually There aleady a SF movie in the making, focus at Chu Li. You do no wanted the same loser that make the first sf make another sf, is like a bad movie make another bad movie lol.

  • chrono_wind

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 11:11 pm GMT

    "hunter8man

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 7:21 pm PT

    Hey! I liked Judge Dredd....


    But I have a feeling this movie will be worse than the original. At least the original had Van Damme!"


    Heh, I liked Judge Dredd too and the game BASED on the movie and not the comic was good too. Anyways, onto this subject. I remembered as a kid, I watched the original Street Fighter movie and actually liked it. I was excited when Ryu did a Hadouken, but then I grew up and watched it again. My GOD it's horrible! It also helped me realize how bad other things were in my child hood. So in a way, I can blame this movie for ruining the enjoyment of my childhood.

    Ah well, new Street Fighter movie? Cancel production, axe the cast and recast please. If you can't find someone with the looks of Chun Li, at least find someone who can portray the attitude. Kristin Kreuk?! Not to mention...Michael Clark Duncan as Balrog? What has he done well in since The Green Mile? If you wanted a bad production, might as well cast Balrog (M Bison) with Mike Tyson..At least you'd get the person he is loosely based on..

  • raghraghragh

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 6:42 pm GMT

    This will be pants.

  • eetz

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 6:12 pm GMT

    oooo a new movie of street fighter

  • hashmanalum

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 4:07 pm GMT

    "035DRAGON: Man, Hudson Hawk was awsome, whats wrong with these people."
    Totally agree, one of the funniest movies I've ever seen!!!

    But as for Kristin Kreuk as Chun Li and Andrzej Bartkowiak running the show... LAME!

  • 035DRAGON

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 3:17 pm GMT

    Man, Hudson Hawk was awsome, whats wrong with these people.

  • Vinth

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 12:27 pm GMT

    Wait... they just called Beverely Hills Cop III a stinker?....

  • kmanworld

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 12:27 pm GMT

    @Mr_Manikin52 no Raul Julia?

    a joke right?, unless he comes back from the land of the dead, i don't think he'll be able to make a film again, in fact SF was his last.

  • condemned100

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 12:26 pm GMT

    Capcom Needs to release more Street Fighter games. They are Elegant and Simple to Play.

  • Henninger

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 12:25 pm GMT

    @ Mr. Manikin52 Raul Julia is dead.

  • steveguttenberg

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 11:57 am GMT

    Maybe they should just make a sequel to that cartoon movie.

  • Mr_Manikin52

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 11:45 am GMT

    No Raul Julia?

  • coulman

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 10:12 am GMT

    They'll probably make another crappy game based on this one too!

  • Get_Shorty

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 10:09 am GMT

    R.I.P. Raul Julia a.k.a. M. Bison. A shame this (orignal SF movie)was his last movie.

  • Burntvet

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 9:22 am GMT

    Why would anyone even admit to writing/directing the first one?

  • MetalGuyver

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 8:48 am GMT

    Street fighter movie again?!

    "Quick! Change the Channel!"

  • bobly007

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 8:12 am GMT

    Not another movie!!!

  • mbchfdh2

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 7:36 am GMT

    It's gonna stink. No two ways about it.

  • cooldude03

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 7:12 am GMT

    I hope this movie is successful, but I doubt if it is.

  • xraystar

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 7:10 am GMT

    kristin kruek as chun li is a joke! the role should have gone to the beautiful, butt-kicking ZHANG ZIYI! it's a no-brainer!

  • rasterror

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 6:49 am GMT

    Legend of Chun-Li? I know she's an important character, but over Ryu and Ken? There should never be another live action film, PERIOD! The first one was one of the worst movies ever. All street Fighter movies should be animated unless it stars Sonny Chiba. Seeing how good the good the first animated movie, the animated series, and Alpha Generations are it should be a no brainer. Its like making another non-costume wearing and toy model Godzilla.

  • rasterror

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 6:49 am GMT

    Legend of Chun-Li? I know she's an important character, but over Ryu and Ken? There should never be another live action film, PERIOD! The first one was one of the worst movies ever. All street Fighter movies should be animated unless it stars Sonny Chiba. Seeing how good the good the first animated movie, the animated series, and Alpha Generations are it should be a no brainer. Its like making another non-costume wearing and toy model Godzilla.

  • Odnomiar

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 6:44 am GMT

    VAN DAMME FTW I really like SFTM. I think it's trash, obviously, but it's still a great kids film. and Van the man didn't make to many of them. and I'll happily sit through 2 hours of the new movie, so lon as Kristen Kreuk get's to show some...um acting range... lol

  • CureForLiving

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 5:18 am GMT

    My problem with the new movie is not so much that they didn't include all the characters but that they didn't include any good characters!

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 3:45 am GMT

    the new sf movie is destined to fail, aaswell.

  • AOldDog

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 3:42 am GMT

    Except 4 48 Hrs and Beverly Hills Cop III i loved those movies, especially Hudson Hawk and Die Hard.

  • LorenaLarue

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 2:42 am GMT

    Kristin Kreuk doesn't habe the legs to be Chun Li, although she is part Chinese too she doesn't look the least bit Chinese.

  • PCsama

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 1:27 am GMT

    de Souza should gave a apology to my beloved star Jean-Claude Van Damme about the bad moive of street fighter the orginal one ,cause like other guys said here in blog before, the moive had nothing to do with the game street fighter it was a pice of crap moive

  • CaptainCapcom

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 12:13 am GMT

    I am currently working with Legend Films' Rifftrax.com to create a commentary for the original Street Fighter Film. You can download the MP3 on rifftrax.com sometime this month. www.rifftrax.com
    www.narcoleptic-insomnia.com

  • Ra-Devil

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 11:40 pm GMT

    Street Fighter the Movie was... there's no word in the English language to expound on how bad it was. The animated movie, the first one, not that Alpha crap, was simply amazing. I absolutely loved that movie... hell, I watched it last month, and I can still say that it's awesome. It ages really well. The only drawback now is that American voice-acting is leagues better than it was back then, so it feels a bit too unatural in some part, but it's still solid... oh, and this "Legend of Chun-Li" crap is already sounding terrible... that can't be the title, it sucks. They need something that conveys the general idea, without being rediculous... and this crosses waaay over the line of rediculous.

  • Sheiko

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 11:33 pm GMT

    Haaa... Yeah game to movie ports don't work well unless u get the same directors and double the budget.

  • Rubarack

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 11:09 pm GMT

    There's already been a Street Fighter film that included all the characters that was really good. Also 7 minutes per character? If only he hit upon the idea of having them fight each other he could easily have doubled that.

  • GhostyMcboo

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 11:08 pm GMT

    "Hopeful" does not belie "confidence"

    It's gonna blow... and it won't even have funny camp value like the Mortal Kombat flicks... Besides, the DOOM director is doing this. I'm surprised THIS movie isn't on Mars with Demons... hell, the DOOM movie had neither.

  • ikari-leader

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 9:55 pm GMT

    Dont blame me if I watch it on youtube.

  • weaselciuy

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 9:27 pm GMT

    crappy movies but i loved them in childhood, so they will always have a special place in my heart :p , but now i cant watch them, i find more entertaining sticking a syringe in my hand.

  • LAboy06

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 9:14 pm GMT

    All the crappy movies listed I actually found somewhat entertaining. Come on Beverly Hills Cop 3 wasn't that bad, and Hudson Hawk was funny.

  • lil_luz_10

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 9:01 pm GMT

    ooooohhhh Kristin Kreuek, aka lana lang from smallville will be the main character...

    SCHWING SCHWING SCHWING

  • MaKaV3Li666

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 8:32 pm GMT

    Street Fighter the Movie was a classic

  • TwinTiger

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 8:17 pm GMT

    The main problem with the Van Damme flick was that you had a movie called "Street Fighter"... but there was no "street fighting" in it! Plus they tried to give all the characters jobs that had nothing to do with their game counterparts (Chun Li went from an interpol officer to a news reporter, E.Honda went from a champion sumo wrestler to a camera man, Ken and Ryu were con artists, and Charlie became Blanka). There was nothing authentic to the source material except for Guile's backflip kick. On top of that, it was a crappy movie anyway. I have some hope for this new movie. Plus, Chun Li is my favorite, so I'm going to see it regardless.

  • Aurey

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 8:15 pm GMT

    I agree with Redgarl, why not Zhang Ziyi? At least she's been in some entertaining martial arts films AND she's chinese. I guess she'd make a better Chun Li.

  • PuhJesus

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 8:09 pm GMT

    After Jean Claude Vandamme it can only get better...right?...Right?!

  • CamronNBA

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 7:55 pm GMT

    SF the film = WIN

  • Neilo_

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 7:50 pm GMT

    jean claude van damme's insulting french-american accent FTW. this movie was bomb, just because it was so bad

  • armydominican69

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 7:48 pm GMT

    this movie is a complete failure, just hurry it up and get street fighter 4 released

  • Eko_Eko_Azarak

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 7:42 pm GMT

    Video Game Movie-Epic Fail.

    Street Fighter SEQUEL without Van Damme? EEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCC FAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

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