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An SNL Icon Retires Fans of Saturday Night Live have long wondered: What happens behind the scenes of the sketch-comedy show? In 2024, we got a glimpse with Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, which showcased just how stressful producing weekly live sketch comedy can be.  After 50 years of constructing Saturday Night Live’s sets for their […]

The post Link Tank: SNL Set Builder Retires and Sesame Street Heads to Netflix appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise.

That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it.

As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking.

Andrew Koji

Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa).

And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged…

Noah Centineo

Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken.

More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics.

Jason Momoa

Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play?

We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning!

Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriously in the early ‘90s. And back in the day of bright colors and extreme sports, Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a fan favorite. The feral fella also seems like a natural fit for Momoa who enjoys leaning from time to time in barbaric imagery, be it Game of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie…

*Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

The post New Street Fighter Movie: Who Is Playing Who? appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning spoilers. Before Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned its latest title, it was previously called Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2. Considering Part 1’s muted box office reception in 2023 (back when it had the unenviable task of opening sans IMAX screens a week […]

The post Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Ending – Is This Really Goodbye for Ethan Hunt? appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise.

That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it.

As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking.

Andrew Koji

Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa).

And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged…

Noah Centineo

Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken.

More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics.

Jason Momoa

Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play?

We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning!

Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriously in the early ‘90s. And back in the day of bright colors and extreme sports, Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a fan favorite. The feral fella also seems like a natural fit for Momoa who enjoys leaning from time to time in barbaric imagery, be it Game of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie…

*Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

The post New Street Fighter Movie: Who Is Playing Who? appeared first on Den of Geek.

With its unapologetically violent gameplay and hellfire aesthetics, Doom not only popularized first-person shooters when the franchise launched in 1993 but changed the gaming industry forever with its countless influences still felt today far beyond its genre. And despite its success, there are surprisingly few games in the core series once you discount the seemingly […]

The post Doom: Ranking Every Glorious Game in the Hellbound Series appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise.

That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it.

As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking.

Andrew Koji

Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa).

And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged…

Noah Centineo

Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken.

More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics.

Jason Momoa

Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play?

We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning!

Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriously in the early ‘90s. And back in the day of bright colors and extreme sports, Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a fan favorite. The feral fella also seems like a natural fit for Momoa who enjoys leaning from time to time in barbaric imagery, be it Game of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie…

*Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

The post New Street Fighter Movie: Who Is Playing Who? appeared first on Den of Geek.

The Hulu anthology series Nine Perfect Strangers is back for another season, leaving sunny California behind for the snowy Austrian Alps. So far, Nicole Kidman’s wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko is the only character from season 1 set to return. The rest of the cast is made up of new characters that Masha has invited to […]

The post Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 Cast: Meet the Actors Joining Nicole Kidman appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise.

That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it.

As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking.

Andrew Koji

Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa).

And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged…

Noah Centineo

Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken.

More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics.

Jason Momoa

Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play?

We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning!

Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriously in the early ‘90s. And back in the day of bright colors and extreme sports, Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a fan favorite. The feral fella also seems like a natural fit for Momoa who enjoys leaning from time to time in barbaric imagery, be it Game of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie…

*Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

The post New Street Fighter Movie: Who Is Playing Who? appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for Arcane season 2. Netflix and Riot Games created one of the most acclaimed video game adaptations of all time with the original animated series Arcane, set in the world of League of Legends. After premiering in 2021, the series returned for its climactic second season in 2024, concluding the fiery […]

The post Arcane Production Team Reflects on Concluding a League of Legends Classic appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise.

That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it.

As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking.

Andrew Koji

Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa).

And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged…

Noah Centineo

Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken.

More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics.

Jason Momoa

Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play?

We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning!

Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriously in the early ‘90s. And back in the day of bright colors and extreme sports, Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a fan favorite. The feral fella also seems like a natural fit for Momoa who enjoys leaning from time to time in barbaric imagery, be it Game of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie…

*Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

The post New Street Fighter Movie: Who Is Playing Who? appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action […]

The post New Street Fighter Movie: Who Is Playing Who? appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise.

That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it.

As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking.

Andrew Koji

Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa).

And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged…

Noah Centineo

Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken.

More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics.

Jason Momoa

Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play?

We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning!

Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriously in the early ‘90s. And back in the day of bright colors and extreme sports, Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a fan favorite. The feral fella also seems like a natural fit for Momoa who enjoys leaning from time to time in barbaric imagery, be it Game of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie…

*Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

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Warning: contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9 “Execution”.  The wages of sin is death? You got that right, Wharton. In “Execution”, the wages of the commanders’ sins were a glittering firework of a death thanks to Joseph Lawrence – economist, loving father, freedom fighter and part-time James Bond.  Talk about laying low the […]

The post The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episode 9 Review: Execution appeared first on Den of Geek.

The upcoming movie Jurassic World Rebirth knows that we’ve seen it all before. As the seventh entry in a franchise that stretches back more than 30 years, the film makes no apologies for its place in cinema history. Like the first trailer released months ago, the newest Rebirth teaser features plenty of call-backs to the Steven Spielberg movie and the Michael Crichton book that inspired it, including waving red flares and a raft scene excised from Spielberg’s 1993 adaptation of Jurassic Park.

However, the latest trailer also features something new to the franchise: a mutant dino that draws from the history of sci-fi movies, including Star Wars.

Most of the trailer lays out the plot of the new movie, the first since director Colin Trevorrow completed the original Jurassic World trilogy with 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali play adventurers who lead a team of scientists, including one played by Wicked standout Jonathan Bailey, to a secret island where geneticists experimented in new dinosaur forms. “They left the worst ones here,” intones Johansson’s Zora Bennett, a warning that intensifies when accompanied by shots of familiar dinos like the T-Rex.

In between images of high-adventure locations, with heroes rappelling down a cliff or riding a rollicking river, we see glimpses of some of those new, mutated dinosaurs. There’s a herd of brachiosaur types, with long snake-like tails whipping through the grass. There’s a pachycephalosaurus and pterodactylus mix slamming its head against a vehicle. There’s even a baby triceratops modified for maximum toy sales cuteness.

But the highlight of the trailer is a much-hyped creature who opens and closes the trailer. Director Gareth Edwards, who broke out with the special effects-driven indie Monsters and went on to make Godzilla and The Creator, teased this new dinosaur back in February. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Edwards spoke of the creature’s influences, saying, “Some Rancor went in there, some H.R. Giger went in there, a little T. Rex went in there…”.

That Star Wars influence is clear in the trailer. The clip opens with a well-worn sci-fi movie trope, in which a lab catastrophe leaves one member trapped inside. His colleagues, unable to help, must watch as the scientist begs for his life before being consumed by the monster he helped create.

Through the smoke and red lighting, we see a massive set of sharp, crooked teeth. The creature extends its gigantic hand toward the scientist, suggesting a level of intelligence and ability heretofore unseen among dinosaurs. It appears again toward the end of the trailer, emerging from the trees. There we see its bulbous head and intelligent eyes, looking directly at its prey.

From these glimpses we can see the influences that Edwards describes. The beast grabs the scientist in the same way that the Rancor grabbed the Gamorrean Guard in Return of the Jedi. The extra bump on the head reminds one of the almost helmet-like shield Giger gave the xenomorph in Alien. And it makes sense that Edwards would ground his take in the lineage of sci-fi cinema, establishing Jurassic World’s dinos among the movie monster greats.

Will all of these references make for an exciting movie? We’ll have to wait until the summer for that answer when Jurassic World Rebirth takes us to the incredible island.

Jurassic World: Rebirth stomps into theaters on July 2, 2025.

The post New Jurassic World Rebirth Trailer Features Star Wars-Inspired Mutant Dino appeared first on Den of Geek.

Perhaps the most defining aspect of the Mission: Impossible movies during their Christopher McQuarrie era has been their spontaneity. Outside of a renewed emphasis on Buster Keaton-like daredevil stunt work, each Mission film since 2015’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation has been informed by the IMF characters onscreen, led by the indefatigable Ethan Hunt (Tom […]

The post Mission: Impossible – Hayley Atwell Reveals Why Tom Cruise Named Her ‘Grace’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

The upcoming movie Jurassic World Rebirth knows that we’ve seen it all before. As the seventh entry in a franchise that stretches back more than 30 years, the film makes no apologies for its place in cinema history. Like the first trailer released months ago, the newest Rebirth teaser features plenty of call-backs to the Steven Spielberg movie and the Michael Crichton book that inspired it, including waving red flares and a raft scene excised from Spielberg’s 1993 adaptation of Jurassic Park.

However, the latest trailer also features something new to the franchise: a mutant dino that draws from the history of sci-fi movies, including Star Wars.

Most of the trailer lays out the plot of the new movie, the first since director Colin Trevorrow completed the original Jurassic World trilogy with 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali play adventurers who lead a team of scientists, including one played by Wicked standout Jonathan Bailey, to a secret island where geneticists experimented in new dinosaur forms. “They left the worst ones here,” intones Johansson’s Zora Bennett, a warning that intensifies when accompanied by shots of familiar dinos like the T-Rex.

In between images of high-adventure locations, with heroes rappelling down a cliff or riding a rollicking river, we see glimpses of some of those new, mutated dinosaurs. There’s a herd of brachiosaur types, with long snake-like tails whipping through the grass. There’s a pachycephalosaurus and pterodactylus mix slamming its head against a vehicle. There’s even a baby triceratops modified for maximum toy sales cuteness.

But the highlight of the trailer is a much-hyped creature who opens and closes the trailer. Director Gareth Edwards, who broke out with the special effects-driven indie Monsters and went on to make Godzilla and The Creator, teased this new dinosaur back in February. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Edwards spoke of the creature’s influences, saying, “Some Rancor went in there, some H.R. Giger went in there, a little T. Rex went in there…”.

That Star Wars influence is clear in the trailer. The clip opens with a well-worn sci-fi movie trope, in which a lab catastrophe leaves one member trapped inside. His colleagues, unable to help, must watch as the scientist begs for his life before being consumed by the monster he helped create.

Through the smoke and red lighting, we see a massive set of sharp, crooked teeth. The creature extends its gigantic hand toward the scientist, suggesting a level of intelligence and ability heretofore unseen among dinosaurs. It appears again toward the end of the trailer, emerging from the trees. There we see its bulbous head and intelligent eyes, looking directly at its prey.

From these glimpses we can see the influences that Edwards describes. The beast grabs the scientist in the same way that the Rancor grabbed the Gamorrean Guard in Return of the Jedi. The extra bump on the head reminds one of the almost helmet-like shield Giger gave the xenomorph in Alien. And it makes sense that Edwards would ground his take in the lineage of sci-fi cinema, establishing Jurassic World’s dinos among the movie monster greats.

Will all of these references make for an exciting movie? We’ll have to wait until the summer for that answer when Jurassic World Rebirth takes us to the incredible island.

Jurassic World: Rebirth stomps into theaters on July 2, 2025.

The post New Jurassic World Rebirth Trailer Features Star Wars-Inspired Mutant Dino appeared first on Den of Geek.

The upcoming movie Jurassic World Rebirth knows that we’ve seen it all before. As the seventh entry in a franchise that stretches back more than 30 years, the film makes no apologies for its place in cinema history. Like the first trailer released months ago, the newest Rebirth teaser features plenty of call-backs to the […]

The post New Jurassic World Rebirth Trailer Features Star Wars-Inspired Mutant Dino appeared first on Den of Geek.

The upcoming movie Jurassic World Rebirth knows that we’ve seen it all before. As the seventh entry in a franchise that stretches back more than 30 years, the film makes no apologies for its place in cinema history. Like the first trailer released months ago, the newest Rebirth teaser features plenty of call-backs to the Steven Spielberg movie and the Michael Crichton book that inspired it, including waving red flares and a raft scene excised from Spielberg’s 1993 adaptation of Jurassic Park.

However, the latest trailer also features something new to the franchise: a mutant dino that draws from the history of sci-fi movies, including Star Wars.

Most of the trailer lays out the plot of the new movie, the first since director Colin Trevorrow completed the original Jurassic World trilogy with 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali play adventurers who lead a team of scientists, including one played by Wicked standout Jonathan Bailey, to a secret island where geneticists experimented in new dinosaur forms. “They left the worst ones here,” intones Johansson’s Zora Bennett, a warning that intensifies when accompanied by shots of familiar dinos like the T-Rex.

In between images of high-adventure locations, with heroes rappelling down a cliff or riding a rollicking river, we see glimpses of some of those new, mutated dinosaurs. There’s a herd of brachiosaur types, with long snake-like tails whipping through the grass. There’s a pachycephalosaurus and pterodactylus mix slamming its head against a vehicle. There’s even a baby triceratops modified for maximum toy sales cuteness.

But the highlight of the trailer is a much-hyped creature who opens and closes the trailer. Director Gareth Edwards, who broke out with the special effects-driven indie Monsters and went on to make Godzilla and The Creator, teased this new dinosaur back in February. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Edwards spoke of the creature’s influences, saying, “Some Rancor went in there, some H.R. Giger went in there, a little T. Rex went in there…”.

That Star Wars influence is clear in the trailer. The clip opens with a well-worn sci-fi movie trope, in which a lab catastrophe leaves one member trapped inside. His colleagues, unable to help, must watch as the scientist begs for his life before being consumed by the monster he helped create.

Through the smoke and red lighting, we see a massive set of sharp, crooked teeth. The creature extends its gigantic hand toward the scientist, suggesting a level of intelligence and ability heretofore unseen among dinosaurs. It appears again toward the end of the trailer, emerging from the trees. There we see its bulbous head and intelligent eyes, looking directly at its prey.

From these glimpses we can see the influences that Edwards describes. The beast grabs the scientist in the same way that the Rancor grabbed the Gamorrean Guard in Return of the Jedi. The extra bump on the head reminds one of the almost helmet-like shield Giger gave the xenomorph in Alien. And it makes sense that Edwards would ground his take in the lineage of sci-fi cinema, establishing Jurassic World’s dinos among the movie monster greats.

Will all of these references make for an exciting movie? We’ll have to wait until the summer for that answer when Jurassic World Rebirth takes us to the incredible island.

Jurassic World: Rebirth stomps into theaters on July 2, 2025.

The post New Jurassic World Rebirth Trailer Features Star Wars-Inspired Mutant Dino appeared first on Den of Geek.

To hear him tell it, veteran character actor Neal McDonough shocked his writing partners when he showed them the initial draft for his latest movie, The Last Rodeo. Where did this come from? his friends would ask. You write about Lee Marvin and tough guys. Those are your heroes! As much as it surprised the […]

The post Neal McDonough on Playing Tough Guys in The Last Rodeo, Star Trek, and Captain America appeared first on Den of Geek.

The upcoming movie Jurassic World Rebirth knows that we’ve seen it all before. As the seventh entry in a franchise that stretches back more than 30 years, the film makes no apologies for its place in cinema history. Like the first trailer released months ago, the newest Rebirth teaser features plenty of call-backs to the Steven Spielberg movie and the Michael Crichton book that inspired it, including waving red flares and a raft scene excised from Spielberg’s 1993 adaptation of Jurassic Park.

However, the latest trailer also features something new to the franchise: a mutant dino that draws from the history of sci-fi movies, including Star Wars.

Most of the trailer lays out the plot of the new movie, the first since director Colin Trevorrow completed the original Jurassic World trilogy with 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali play adventurers who lead a team of scientists, including one played by Wicked standout Jonathan Bailey, to a secret island where geneticists experimented in new dinosaur forms. “They left the worst ones here,” intones Johansson’s Zora Bennett, a warning that intensifies when accompanied by shots of familiar dinos like the T-Rex.

In between images of high-adventure locations, with heroes rappelling down a cliff or riding a rollicking river, we see glimpses of some of those new, mutated dinosaurs. There’s a herd of brachiosaur types, with long snake-like tails whipping through the grass. There’s a pachycephalosaurus and pterodactylus mix slamming its head against a vehicle. There’s even a baby triceratops modified for maximum toy sales cuteness.

But the highlight of the trailer is a much-hyped creature who opens and closes the trailer. Director Gareth Edwards, who broke out with the special effects-driven indie Monsters and went on to make Godzilla and The Creator, teased this new dinosaur back in February. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Edwards spoke of the creature’s influences, saying, “Some Rancor went in there, some H.R. Giger went in there, a little T. Rex went in there…”.

That Star Wars influence is clear in the trailer. The clip opens with a well-worn sci-fi movie trope, in which a lab catastrophe leaves one member trapped inside. His colleagues, unable to help, must watch as the scientist begs for his life before being consumed by the monster he helped create.

Through the smoke and red lighting, we see a massive set of sharp, crooked teeth. The creature extends its gigantic hand toward the scientist, suggesting a level of intelligence and ability heretofore unseen among dinosaurs. It appears again toward the end of the trailer, emerging from the trees. There we see its bulbous head and intelligent eyes, looking directly at its prey.

From these glimpses we can see the influences that Edwards describes. The beast grabs the scientist in the same way that the Rancor grabbed the Gamorrean Guard in Return of the Jedi. The extra bump on the head reminds one of the almost helmet-like shield Giger gave the xenomorph in Alien. And it makes sense that Edwards would ground his take in the lineage of sci-fi cinema, establishing Jurassic World’s dinos among the movie monster greats.

Will all of these references make for an exciting movie? We’ll have to wait until the summer for that answer when Jurassic World Rebirth takes us to the incredible island.

Jurassic World: Rebirth stomps into theaters on July 2, 2025.

The post New Jurassic World Rebirth Trailer Features Star Wars-Inspired Mutant Dino appeared first on Den of Geek.