Sega’s efforts to adapt its video games to the big screen continue with another franchise, as Lionsgate has announced that the popular beat’em up series Streets of Rage is set to receive a movie adaptation, with John Wick creator Derek Kolstad writing the script.
In the wake of Sonic the Hedgehog’s success at the box office, Lionsgate has acquired the motion picture rights to Streets of Rage in order to create a movie based on the popular 90’s games. The project is being written by Derek Kolstad, best known for his work on the John Wick series. Besides him, Toru Nakahara, producer of Sonic the Hedgehog, Escape Artists’ Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black, and Tony Shaw, as well as Dmitri M. Johnson, Timothy Stevenson, and Dan Jevons from DJ2 Entertainment will work together with Derek during the development.
Speaking to Deadline, producer of Sonic Prime and Sonic the Hedgehog, Toru Nakahara said: “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.” DJ2 Entertainment’s Dimitri Johnson added that it was his dream to work on a Streets of Rage movie since his childhood, “I’ve wanted to make a Streets of Rage film since I was 12 years old. This has shaped up to become a dream project alongside a dream team.”
DJ2 Entertainment previously produced Sonic the Hedgehog, which grossed $306M at the worldwide box office. The studio is currently working on movie adaptations of Tomb Raider and It Takes Two, at least one of which is expected to release sometime in 2023. Lionsgate, on the other hand, is a major entertainment company that has beloved series’ like John Wick, The Hunger Games, and Rambo in its portfolio. Lastly, the third-party studio Escape Artist is an indie production company best known for its work on the Equalizer series.
First released back in 1991, Streets of Rage is a side-scrolling beat ’em-up series with iconic soundtracks. After a long hiatus, the latest entry in the series, which introduced new characters, mechanics, and special attacks, was released for Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and PC in 2020.
