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New ‘Street Fighter’ Trailer Is About Ken and Ryu’s Beef, but Guile Steals the Show
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
A new trailer for Paramount and Legendary's "Street Fighter" film has settled the marketing focus for the upcoming adaptation, centring on the fraught friendship between Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo). Ryu is prompted to enter the dangerous World Warriors Tournament after Chun-Li (Callina Liang) tells him Ken has signed up, with Ken shown resenting his old training partner and seeming determined to step out of his shadow. The footage also gave Guile, played by WWE star Cody Rhodes, a standout moment, reacting furiously after being slashed across the face by Dan, in what was picked out as the trailer's best line. The reception suggests the film is leaning enthusiastically into its video game roots, which matters given the franchise's mixed history on screen.
The trailer is dense with references to the games, including Ryu's Tatsumaki spin-kick, E. Honda's headbutt slam, Chun-Li's Lightning Legs, the pair's Street Fighter 3 fist bump, and David Dastmalchian as villain M. Bison. Legendary also released an interactive version of the trailer letting viewers perform accurate button-input prompts, such as a quarter-circle motion timed to Ryu's Hadouken. Previous Street Fighter films have struggled critically, from the panned 1994 live-action version starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (redeemed somewhat by Raul Julia's performance as Bison) to the more warmly received Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, also from 1994. Directed by Kitao Sakurai, the new film is set for release on 16 October 2026, with fan and critical reaction to determine whether it can break the genre's poor cinematic track record.
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In short
- New trailer highlights Ryu and Ken's rivalry ahead of the tournament
- Guile's (Cody Rhodes) reaction to a facial slash is a trailer highlight
- Street Fighter film, directed by Kitao Sakurai, opens 16 October 2026
How this story developed
- 2 months ago A newly released trailer for Paramount and Legendary's "Street Fighter" film puts fresh emphasis on the strained friendship between Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), who enters the dangerous World Warriors Tournament partly to escape his old training partner's shadow.
- 2 months ago A newly released trailer for Paramount and Legendary's "Street Fighter" film continues to focus on the strained friendship between Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) as they enter the World Warriors Tournament, with new footage adding a stand-out moment in which Guile (Cody Rhodes), played by the WWE star, reacts furiously to Dan after suffering a facial slash.
- 2 months ago A new trailer for Paramount and Legendary's "Street Fighter" film has settled the marketing focus for the upcoming adaptation, centring on the fraught friendship between Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo).
- 2 months ago A newly released trailer for Paramount and Legendary's "Street Fighter" film adds further detail to the strained friendship between Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) as they compete in the World Warriors Tournament, while also confirming a release date of 16 October 2026.
- 2 months ago Paramount Pictures and Legendary have released a new trailer for the upcoming "Street Fighter" film, this time focusing on the fraught relationship between childhood friends Ryu and Ken as they enter the World Warriors Tournament.
- Engadget The new Street Fighter movie trailer looks fun in all the right ways
- Collider 'Street Fighter' Officially Returns to the Big Screen With a Stunning New Trailer
- IGN New Street Fighter Trailer Teases Conflict Between Ryu and Ken, and E. Honda Does His Hundred Hand Slap
- PC Gamer Ken and Ryu work things out in a new trailer for Street Fighter
- Billboard Watch 50 Cent Become Balrog in Action-Packed ‘Street Fighter’ Trailer
- GamesRadar+ New Street Fighter trailer brings action, camp, and some of the game's most iconic moves to life
- Polygon New ‘Street Fighter’ Trailer Is About Ken and Ryu’s Beef, but Guile Steals the Show
- Push Square Play the New Street Fighter Movie Trailer on YouTube Now
Explained simply
Ryu and Ken are longtime friends turned rivals in the Street Fighter video game series, a franchise dating back to the late 1980s built around one-on-one tournament combat with distinctive characters and signature moves. The upcoming film adaptation, made by Paramount and Legendary and directed by Kitao Sakurai, follows them competing in the fictional World Warriors Tournament, with Andrew Koji as Ryu and Noah Centineo as Ken. The wider cast includes Callina Liang as Chun-Li, David Dastmalchian as the villain M. Bison, and wrestler Cody Rhodes as Guile, and the film is due for release on 16 October 2026.
The project matters partly because video game films have a patchy track record, and Street Fighter in particular has a difficult history on screen. A 1994 live-action version starring Jean-Claude Van Damme was widely panned, though Raul Julia's performance as Bison was praised, while a separate animated film released the same year was better received. More recent adaptations of rival franchise Mortal Kombat have shown that translating fighting games into satisfying films remains a persistent challenge for studios.
Coverage · 8 sources
- PolygonNew ‘Street Fighter’ Trailer Is About Ken and Ryu’s Beef, but Guile Steals the Show
- EngadgetThe new Street Fighter movie trailer looks fun in all the right ways
- Collider'Street Fighter' Officially Returns to the Big Screen With a Stunning New Trailer
- IGNNew Street Fighter Trailer Teases Conflict Between Ryu and Ken, and E. Honda Does His Hundred Hand Slap
- PC GamerKen and Ryu work things out in a new trailer for Street Fighter
- BillboardWatch 50 Cent Become Balrog in Action-Packed ‘Street Fighter’ Trailer
- GamesRadar+New Street Fighter trailer brings action, camp, and some of the game's most iconic moves to life
- Push SquarePlay the New Street Fighter Movie Trailer on YouTube Now