After a long hiatus, the Streets of Rage has suddenly found itself relevant again following 2020’s excellent Streets of Rage 4, and now it seems the franchise is coming to movie screens courtesy of Lionsgate. Thankfully, some solid talent will be bringing Axel and friends to the big screen, as the movie will be written by Derek Kolstad. He’s penned all the John Wick movies, so obviously he knows his way around an action scene. The movie will be produced by dj2 Entertainment (Sonic the Hedgehog and other gaming movies) and Escape Artists (the Equalizer movies). Sega will be represented by producers Toru Nakahara (the Sonic movies) and Shuji Utsumi.
Kolstad had the following to say about the SoR project.
“When [dj2 Entertainment producer Dmitri M. Johnson] first mentioned the idea of cracking a Streets of Rage movie, I was so immediately freaking in. And to play with Sega? The 10-year-old me is still grinning.”
And here’s what Nakahara had to say…
“Lionsgate is one of the most dynamic studios in the entertainment industry today. We look forward to working with them, Derek and our all-star producers to bring this compelling IP to life.”
Need to get into the mood for a Streets of Rage movie? Do check out Streets of Rage 4, which I found to be one of most satisfying brawlers in a long time in my full review…
“Streets of Rage 4 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but honestly, that’s okay. The game’s dazzling visuals, silky-smooth action, varied level design, and sexy sense of cool more than make up for a few minor old-school irritations. Veteran Bare Knuckle brawlers will get the most out of Streets of Rage 4, but it should provide a satisfying thumb workout for players from all eras.”
What do you think? Do you think a Streets of Rage movie could actually work? As long as they stay true to the source material and have the heroes eating turkeys out of garbage cans for health, I’m on board.
