David Dastmalchian has revealed new details about his portrayal of M. Bison in director Kitao Sakurai's upcoming live-action Street Fighter film, suggesting a markedly different approach to the character than fans might expect. Rather than casting a physically dominant actor to fill the villain's imposing shoulders straight away, Sakurai reportedly wanted to explore Bison's psychology before he attains the overwhelming physical power seen in the video games, aiming to give the adaptation more depth than a simple costume-and-catchphrase portrayal.

Speaking to Collider's Steve Weintraub at San Diego Comic-Con, Dastmalchian recounted telling Sakurai he wasn't "the big, imposing titan" typically associated with Bison, to which the director replied that this wasn't the story he wanted to tell. The film boasts an extensive cast alongside Dastmalchian, including Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Jason Momoa as Blanka, and Olivier Richters as Zangief, as the production attempts to balance the franchise's larger-than-life combat with grounded character work.