Lionsgate has acquired the feature film adaptation of the hit ’90s video game Streets of Rage. The adaptation was originally announced back in April when John Wick writer Derek Kolstad was announced to be writing the film. This news of a big company like Lionsgate acquiring the film gives fans of the game hope that the film will be coming sooner rather than later.
The first Streets of Rage game was released by Sega in 1991. The game was a side-scrolling beat ‘em up that quickly became a hit with players, and saw them take control of a team of ex-cops turned vigilantes on a mission to take back their city from a crime syndicate that has taken over. The game was successful enough to get a sequel the following year and a third game released in 1994. Excitement for the franchise was reignited when a fourth game in the series was released in 2020, an excitement that ultimately leads to developments in this film adaptation.
Fans have been waiting for a film adaptation since the first game came out, and with the names attached it seems like it will be worth the wait. The exact plot of the film is unknown at this time, but if it follows the original games, then it is in good hands with Kolstad and Lionsgate. Kolstad is the writer behind the hugely successful action series John Wick. He wrote the first three films, which are full of high energy and fun action scenes that fans are going to love in a Streets of Rage film. Additionally, Lionsgate has distributed every entry in the John Wick series. The company has also had its hand in other hit action series like The Expendables, The Hunger Games, and more.
Kolstad will also be producing the project. Other producers on the film will include Toru Nakahara for Sega, Dmitri M. Johnson, Timothy I. Stevenson, and Dan Jevons for dj2 Entertainment, and Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Tony Shaw for Escape Artists. Additionally, Brady Fujikawa and Jon Humphrey will be overseeing the project on behalf of Lionsgate with Shuji Utsumi and Toru Nakahara doing the same for Sega, Johnson for dj2 Entertainment, and Shaw for Escape Artists.
About getting to write the adaptation, Kolstad said, “When Dmitri first mentioned the idea of cracking a Streets of Rage movie, I was so immediately freaking in. And to play with Sega? The ten-year-old me is still grinning.” President of Production at Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, Erin Westerman, also gave a statement about the film and its script by Kolstad, saying: “The game has a rich world and narrative and we’re thrilled to be reuniting with Derek to bring it to life.”
Additionally, Nakahara, who has recently served as a producer for Sega on the fan-beloved Sonic the Hedgehog films, had the following 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.”
Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates on this upcoming adaptation. Check out the trailer for the most recent game in the Streets of Rage series below:
