Street Fighter has long been more than just a fighting game. It’s impossible to discuss the most popular video game characters of all time without mentioning Chun-Li, Ryu, or Ken. For many of us, it shaped our '90s childhood at the arcade and served as our introduction to the fighting-game genre. It also has inspired multiple movies, comic books, an anime series and manga, on top of endless collaborations with other fighting game and comic book franchises. Street Fighter's massive popularity is also a curse when it comes to live-action video game adaptations: 1994's Street Fighter and 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li were poorly received, despite both films having big budgets and being hyped among fans. The franchise failing twice as live-action films was an embarrassment to Capcom, so it's no surprise fans would be concerned about a third attempt at creating a decent live-action film. When Kitao Sakurai was announced as the Street Fighter director, fans were both excited and concerned about him taking reins due to a history of working closely with Eric Andre. There was hope though, especially with the positive reception of a few other video game adaptations in the last few years: Perhaps the experience of Andre’s eccentric style of comedy could mean a more unconventional approach, similar to Zach Cregger’s approach with Resident Evil? Maybe the casting mix of Andre, pro wrestlers, martial artists, and, for some reason, podcaster Andrew Schulz could produce a very chaotic live-action comedy? Unfortunately, the questions around the movie's identity are ultimately what hurt the adaptation the most because, even with cartoonish action and plenty of attempts at humor, this Street Fighter movie doesn't really figure out what it is. As with many other adaptations of Street Fighter, Ken is rich and famous, but he is also a shell of the fighter he once was--Ryu's absence has clearly taken its toll. Noah Centineo encapsulates Ken’s flashy personality and inflated ego excellently, while showcasing his more fragile and sensitive side as he reminisces about his past life with Ryu. Meanwhile, Ryu is now living in the shadows as a homeless ramen chef. Andrew Koji as Ryu is also fantastic casting: His serious and noble demeanor, even when it comes to making terrible ramen, feels natural. The first act of Street Fighter is engaging thanks to its focus on Ken and Ryu’s relationship. Their individual personality quirks should have set the tone for the rest of the film, but sadly it starts to have an identity crisis when it transitions to the main plot. Don’t get me wrong--there are still many aspects of the film that capture the essence of the Street Fighter games: vibrant and thrilling fight scenes, cheesy dialogue, and some initially questionable casting choices that finally make sense after seeing the movie, especially Noah Centineo's Ken Masters. Street Fighter also immediately captivates you. Shortly after the Capcom logo hypes up the audience, the film transitions to a beautifully animated sequence that highlights the deep bond between Ryu and Ken. The animated sequences are the best Street Fighter has ever looked on screen, and luckily these scenes become a staple throughout the film to highlight the history between the two young fighters. Once the opening credits are over, the film continues to learn into '90s nostalgia with cool environments and oddly endearing comedic moments, as it depicts Ken living his life in 1993 without Ryu, his childhood rival and sworn brother who has been missing for years. Ken and Ryu’s last moment together was witnessing the death of their master, Gouken, by the deity Akuma, who was awakened by Ryu’s powers in the first World Warrior Tournament. Haunted by the death of their mentor and blaming himself for causing it, Ryu has disappeared from the fighting world. As with other movies based on fighting games, Street Fighter is in a rush to reach its core goal: Get Ryu and all the iconic characters to battle in the World Warrior Tournament. The rush never fully allows the audience to absorb the other characters and environment. This flaw could have been balanced with the proper tone and character focus, but Street Fighter fails to do so, doing the cast a disservice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6sbm1OaJb8&t=1s The biggest letdown is the dialogue, as the humor is inconsistent and the movie never fully understands its own tone. Some characters, like Chun-Li and Dan Hibiki, don't fully commit to their personalities, either. Perhaps it’s the juvenile scripting or a casting issue, but either way, it felt like I was watching amateur actors in poor cosplay rather than seeing well-realized versions of these characters coming to life on screen. At first, the cringeworthy interactions got a few laughs out of me and had some very minor endearing moments, but it tries too hard to keep that comedic momentum going and fails miserably. The film forces you to accept bad writing and performances to drive it forward instead of allowing any of the interactions to feel natural.Chun-Li’s character was the most disappointing to me. Her tragic backstory of avenging her father is already canon, which should’ve made it easier to adapt into a decent side plot with the right amount of tweaking, but instead she is incredibly flat and never fully fleshed out. Actor Callina Liang seems bored and uncomfortable throughout the entire film, even during her intense interactions with M. Bison and minor action moments. The writing and odd directional choices cater to the male gaze, making it obvious she was lazily written by a man. As one of the most capable and badass female characters in gaming, Chun-Li and, by extension, Callina Liang deserved better, and so did the fans. The dumbfounding casting and scripting choice for this film was Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki. When Street Fighter was first announced, there was an immense amount of backlash for the casting of Andrew Schulz--a controversial podcaster and stand-up comedian. I could go on about the drama surrounding Schulz’s audience, his racism, hot takes, comedic style, etc., but for the sake of our collective sanity, I'll just say his inability to portray Dan’s character with any competency is yet another reason to question why he has any involvement in the production. In Street Fighter canon, Dan is often portrayed as cocky and arrogant, while also being a bit inept as a fighter, yet in the movie his characterization is unclear--is he slimy or charismatic? Is he supposed to crack jokes, or just be an awkward friend? It’s also very odd how prevalent Dan is throughout the film, especially since he is without an arc or story to justify his frequent presence. The movie tries to sell you on a bond between Dan and Ken, but it’s a very uncomfortable friendship that never seems realistic or entertaining. The one vulnerable moment between them is immediately ruined by a weirdly homophobic joke--which, sadly, the film has a few of--and it comes off unsettlingly. In general, Dan and his casting are flat and uninspiring. The initial joy of '90s nostalgia also wears off pretty quickly. It was certainly a welcome choice to have '90s hits like Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” and 4 Non Blondes’ "What's Up?” feature on the soundtrack, but the movie goes on to then disregard the era the movie takes place in by blasting “Who Let the Dogs Out?,” a song that came out in 2000. While the film still remains pretty colorful, the lack of commitment to being period accurate undermines the vibe frequently.The only aspect of Street Fighter that maintains a consistent quality is the fight choreography. This film is not afraid to embrace the cartoony vibes and reference unique movesets: hurricane kicks left and right, the iconic Hadoken, Blanka’s Electric Thunders, Zangief’s spinning piledriver, and a few more are sprinkled throughout each fight. Although the action was a little more limited due to the PG-13 rating, I was still impressed with the over-the-top stunts and tonally varied fights--silly spats with gags, a John Wick-style club brawl, and a few unique 1v1 battles that closely resemble what you would see in a Street Fighter game.It’s also disappointing that a movie called Street Fighter fails to use its tournament structure for more individual fights between side characters. I would’ve loved to see Guile bust out some Sonic moves, or M. Bison doing anything other than complaining he needs more psycho power, but the film attempts to make up for it with a mix of impressive martial arts and campy action sequences elsewhere. Despite a PG-13 rating that limits the level of violence, the choreography team does fantastic work nevertheless. I just wish it had more Street Fighter style fights with different characters instead of being overshadowed by the goofy brawls you see in typical martial arts films.Street Fighter is full of goofy action, colorful shots, and gorgeous animated sequences that focus on the bond between Ryu and Ken. It’s entertaining for some silly, mindless fun, but also a very messy movie that never quite figures out its tone and fails to sell you on its plot or characters. This is the best Street Fighter live action we have as far though, but unfortunately that's not an accolade worth bragging about...
Street Fighter is officially spin-kicking its way into theaters this week, starting with previews on Thursday and leading into the crucial opening weekend. It's the second movie based on a Capcom IP to make its way to the silver screen this year--following Zach Cregger's Resident Evil film in September--but so far, early estimates for the martial arts extravaganza aren't looking too healthy. According to Deadline's box-office-predictions, Street Fighter is expected to take in under $70 million worldwide. Of that figure, it's estimated to open with a US box-office take in the high 30 millions on 3,500 screens, and a take in the mid-30 millions internationally. Typically, movies need to make at least double their production budget back to be considered successful, and with Street Fighter costing $82 million to produce, it doesn't look like it'll recoup its expenses in its first weekend. There's still a chance it could be a small hit if word of mouth drives audiences to theaters, and in terms of competition, Street Fighter has a few weeks to dominate cinemas as it'll be the biggest action film on the block--at least until the November 1 re-release of V for Vendetta, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The movie won't open in the potentially lucrative market of China, but internationally, the lion's share of sales is expected to come from Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Australia, and Asian markets. https://youtu.be/U6sbm1OaJb8 How does that opening stack up against other recent video game movie adaptations? Resident Evil got off to a solid start with a $60 million domestic opening last month, and so far, the film has grossed $324 million worldwide, making it a surprise commercial hit and Cregger's biggest film yet. Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat 2 did much worse when it launched in May, making only $38 million on its opening US weekend and finishing with a worldwide box office total of $129.5 million. As for the other Street Fighter movies, they've had mixed results. According to Box Office Mojo, the first Street Fighter movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme made $99.4 million during its run, which is pretty great for a 1994 flick, but 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was a huge flop. It had an opening weekend of $4.7 million in the US, and it made $12.7 million worldwide. Street Fighter movies lifetime box office totals Street Fighter (1994) -- $99.4 million Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009) -- $12.7 million Street Fighter (2026) -- TBA Street Fighter Movie: Release Date, Cast, And Everything We Know So Far 
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After publishing his review of Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie, Hideo Kojima-who says his body is 70% made of movies--has posted his review of one of the most divisive mainstream films of the year. Yes, we're talking about Alejandro Iñárritu's satirical black comedy Digger, which stars Tom Cruise. Kojima said Digger is a "film that all of us living in today's world should see." He added: "It is a work that remains with the audience, provoking reflection and sounding alarms." Kojima doesn't get into detailed specifics in his Digger review, and that's likely because, if you've seen the movie or know the plot, you wouldn't want to spoil the film for other people, either. In any event, Kojima said Digger and its message will stay with you for years to come. "As you absorb this film and carry it with you, a 'tool (a digger)' for delving deeper into the future will surely begin to take shape within you," he said. Kojima and Iñárritu' sat down with Gizmodo to discuss Digger and more--you can read the conversation here, but note that it's in Japanese. Digger reviews are all over the place, and the film bombed at the box office, bringing in just $37 million globally thus far. The studio behind it, Warner Bros., leaned into the divisiveness, altering the movie's marketing campaign after reviews came out to encourage people to see it and decide for themselves. As for Kojima, he’s keeping very busy with the upcoming games OD and Phsyint, both of which are in the works for Xbox. Physint will also be adapted for film and TV, while Kojima’s Death Stranding is coming to the big screen as well...
Writer-director Hideo Kojima has seen Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie, and he has now shared his review. Kojima, a true cinephile known for his public movie reviews, said he "wasn't particularly interested" in seeing the movie at first, but he did, and he sounded pretty impressed by what he saw. "Right from the opening, it hits you with music reminiscent of The Thing. From there, it’s a relentless barrage of classic horror techniques, terrifying situations, and jump scares that never lets up until the very end," he said. Kojima went on to observe what others did as well, which is how the Resident Evil movie is more of a film that provides the "experience of playing Resident Evil" as opposed to watching an adaptation of one of its stories. "It reminded me of how I felt when I first played the original Resident Evil on PlayStation back in 1996," he said. "I was just like [main character] Bryan in this movie. I kept getting game over after game over, shouting “F***!” over and over again. lol." 
Austin Abrams as Bryan in the Resident Evil movie. This is the kind of response that Cregger said he wanted viewers to have. It's also what got Cregger in some hot water with hardcore fans who wanted to see a straight adaptation of one of the games instead of Cregger's own original story set inside the world of Resident Evil. Another bright spot for Kojima? While he was at the theater, he picked up some physical reading materials for the divisive new Tom Cruise movie Digger. A lot of people have had a lot of things to say about that film, and we are all waiting to hear what Kojima thought of it, whenever he sees it. The new Resident Evil has made more than $320 million worldwide, following its big debut in China where it's made $40.7 million so far. Cregger's Resident Evil movie is now the highest-grossing entry in the series to date, surpassing the previous record-holder, which was 2016's The Final Chapter ($312 million). For more, check out GameSpot's rundown of the highest-grossing Resident Evil movies of all time. While Cregger has said he has ideas for another Resident Evil movie, he’s done with franchise movies and is instead making an original movie, The Flood, next. As for Kojima, he's keeping very busy with the upcoming games OD and Phsyint, both of which are in the works for Xbox. Physint will also be adapted for film and TV, while Kojima's Death Stranding is coming to the big screen as well...
Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie got solid reviews and is making a lot of money at the box office, but where does it rank on the list of highest-grossing Resident Evil movies? Following its debut in China, it's now No. 1 overall. Director Paul W.S. Anderson made six previous Resident Evil movies, starring his wife, Milla Jovovich, and 2016's The Final Chapter previously ranked No. 1 in terms of money at the box office. Anderson's movies did not fare very well with critics, but had dedicated fans who kept going to see them. Together, Anderson's six movies made more than $1 billion. Cregger's Resident Evil movie now ranks No. 1 with more than $320 million worldwide. It's also Cregger's highest-grossing movie ever, surpassing Weapons ($270 million). Below you can see a rundown of the highest-grossing live-action Resident Evil movies ever, including domestic, international, and global figures. In addition to Cregger and Anderson, director Johannes Roberts worked on the series for 2021's Welcome to Raccoon City, the lowest-performing Resident Evil live-action movie ever. The Resident Evil movies are produced by Constantin Films, which bought the rights back in the '90s and has retained them ever since. After Welcome to Raccoon City flopped, Constantin planned to put the film franchise on ice ... until Cregger showed up with a pitch. While Cregger has said he has ideas for another Resident Evil movie, he's done with franchise movies and is instead making an original movie, The Flood, next. Highest-grossing Resident Evil movies 8: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) Domestic: $17,000,612 International: $24,914,303 Worldwide: $41,914,915 7: Resident Evil (2002) Domestic: $40,119,709 International: $62,865,153 Worldwide: $102,984,862 6: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) Domestic: $51,201,453 International: $78,141,316 Worldwide: $129,342,769 5: Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) Domestic: $50,648,679 International: $97,069,154 Worldwide: $147,717,833 4: Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) Domestic: $42,345,531 International: $197,813,724 Worldwide: $240,159,255 3: Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) Domestic: $60,128,566 International: $240,099,518 Worldwide: $300,228,084 2: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) Domestic: $26,830,068 International: $285,412,558 Worldwide: $312,242,626 1: Resident Evil (2026) Domestic: $138,738,566 International: $183,012,312 Worldwide: $321,760,878...
A movie adaptation of the popular game series BioShock has been in the works for a long time, and like a lot of film projects, it appears to be trapped in Development Hell. It remains to be seen how things will shake out with BioShock, but now its director has provided a positive-sounding update. Francise Lawrence told GamesRadar that the team is "still working on a script," but he believes, "We're pretty close." He added: "I'm feeling really good about it." Hollywood is littered with stories of filmmakers who are excited about projects, only to see them never materialize for countless reasons. That could happen for BioShock, too, but Lawrence is hopeful. "Yeah, I would love to make it. I've been like dying to. I've been working at it. I've been trying," he said. 
A BioShock movie has been in development for more than a decade now, with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski originally tapped to direct for a theatrical release. He pushed for a big-budget, R-rated version, and the studio reportedly balked after Zach Snyder's expensive Watchmen adaptation flopped. Netflix announced in 2022 that it had taken over the BioShock movie project, but things didn't go to plan. There was a regime change at Netflix, and producer Roy Lee said this resulted in the BioShock movie getting scaled back to become a more “personal” film. The BioShock movie was supposed to happen years ago, but Lawrence had a full plate with 2025's The Long Walk and this December's The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. With that movie finished up, Lee said he thinks Lawrence could begin work on BioShock in 2027, though he acknowledged that anything can happen in Hollywood and plans may change. Blade Runner 2049’s Michael Green and Terminator: Dark Fate’s Justin Rhodes are working on the script. There is no word yet on a cast. Intriguingly, Lee said BioShock rights-owner Take-Two is “very anxious to see the movie come out” because the plan is for it to “coincide with some of the potential new incarnations of the game.” Lee did not name any specific games outright, but Take-Two recently reiterated that the long-in-development BioShock 4 will see the light of day … some day. A remake of the original BioShock was reportedly in development, but was canceled in 2025. As for the in-development BioShock 4, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick recently said the game is not dead and will come out “without question.” He offered this assurance to fans in the wake of BioShock 4 undergoing a partial overhaul to improve on key areas. Developer Cloud Chamber also suffered layoffs, with studio head Kelley Gilmore departing and former Diablo boss Rod Fergusson taking over. Some may recall how Ferguson was called in years ago to be a “closer” for BioShock Infinite to help get the game out the door...
The upcoming anime adaptation of Sony's Ghost of Tsushima just took another big step forward, with Crunchyroll revealing more details on the cast and crew attached to the project, as well as a 2028 release window. While details are still light on what the story will be, Hayate Inc. did confirm that actors Mayumi Saco and Shinya Fukumatsu will voice characters. Saco had previously voiced Tomoe in Ghost of Tsushima, a master archer and pupil of the renowned Sensei Ishikawa, while Fukumatsu lent his vocal talents to One-Punch Man, playing the martial arts master Bomb. 
Official poster artowrk for the Ghost of Tsushima Legends anime. For the crew working behind the scenes on this production, there's some big talent attached. Takanobu Mizuno (Star Wars: Visions "The Duel") will direct the anime, and it'll be produced at animation studio Kamikaze Douga (Batman: Ninja, Star Wars: Visions shorts). For the story, that's being handled by Gen Urobuchi (Psycho-Pass) and Renji Oki (Azur Lane). Rounding out key roles, there's also Keiji Inai as the anime's music composer, Yoshikazu Iwanami handles sound direction, and Gyousyou Suzuki brings their talent for calligraphy to the project. As for the source material video games, Ghost of Tsushima first hit the scene in 2020 for the PS4, and was later upgraded for PS5. Its sequel, Ghost of Yotei, launched in 2025 and also received a "Complete Edition" upgrade that adds the Echoes of Sekigahara expansion and bundles in the Legends multiplayer mode. Anime adaptations of video games are on the rise, as multiple other projects are in various stages of development currently. From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Bloodborne are getting the anime treatment, and the world of Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding is expanding with an anime film and a separate anime series that's on its way to Disney+...
Movie studio Paramount has announced that it's making a Cyberpunk 2077 movie, becoming just the latest upcoming game adaptation. The studio is also behind the Call of Duty movie that's set for release in 2028. Deadline reported that Lorenzo di Bonaventura, known for his work on the super-popular Transformers movie series, is attached to produce. CD Projekt Red is on board as well to produce, which might make fans happy to hear. CD Projekt Red's Michał Nowakowski praised Paramount, saying the company shares the developer's ambitions. "We're excited about Paramount as a future partner who shares our creative ambitions for the Cyberpunk franchise. We look forward to sharing more details at the appropriate time," he said. Cyberpunk 2's associate game director, Paweł Sasko, said, "I’m beyond excited chooms." 
Cyberpunk 2077 is headed to the big screen. Not all Hollywood adaptations include their creators, as Larian has no involvement in the Baldur's Gate 3 TV show, while Naughty Dog dropped out of The Last of Us Season 3 on HBO, prompting fears about creative decisions. Paramount has been in the news a lot lately following the company's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and combination of the two companies. Going forward, the parent company will be called Skydance. Presumably the Call of Duty and Cyberpunk 2077 movies are among those set for release in theaters, following Paramount's commitment to releasing at least 30 movies in theaters each year. It is very early days for the Cyberpunk 2077 movie, and there is no word yet on who may direct or star in it, nor has Paramount given it a release date. The game series, meanwhile, is expanding with a sequel, Cyberpunk 2, which is in development now. Cyberpunk 2077 had a well-documented disastrous launch in December 2020, but the Polish developer steadily supported, updated, and improved the game over the years. Many are calling it one of the best comeback stories ever for a high-profile game. Things culminated in the Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 release in 2023 and the launch of the stellar Phantom Liberty expansion. The game has sold more than 40 million copies...
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma continues to reshape the gaming brand, this time with the new XP division. The clever moniker works for Xbox pictures, products, places, and partnerships--the "four investment areas" now overseen by Kayleen Walters (who previously was Mojang Studios president). This all seems like a bigger push into TV, film, and maybe even theme parks for Xbox. But upon closer inspection, there really isn't anything new here, at least not yet. There's nothing about new investments in movies and TV shows with this announcement. There isn't even the reveal of a new game adaptation for the silver or small screen. Instead, there's a lot of celebrating what's been around or in production for years, such as the Call of Duty movie and Fallout: Season 3. We also know A Minecraft Movie Squared is on the way (which should have been called A Nether Minecraft Movie). In fact, Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball basically admits on Xbox Wire that all of this stuff was already happening at the company: "It brings together capabilities that have existed across various teams at Xbox for years and aligns them behind a shared mission: helping our franchises reach more people, create deeper connections with players and new fans, and unlock new opportunities for these fandoms to grow around the world." Maybe this new department will lead to better returns and more Hollywood movies from Xbox in the future. But right now, it seems like reshuffling the same deck of cards. It's hard not to shake the feeling this is a PR play as an outsider looking in, especially as Xbox continues to close studios and enact mass layoffs. This also comes days after Sharma reportedly claimed Xbox has "started to return to growth" at a town-hall meeting, without providing any evidence. Then, just today, Circana reported that Xbox hardware unit sales in the US fell 31% this past August when compared to August 2025--and were the lowest since August 2020. The Complete History Of The Xbox Logo: From Green Glow To Modern Minimal 
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Zach Cregger has another hit on his hands with Resident Evil, and it's set to become his biggest movie ever by revenue at the box office. According to Deadline, Resident Evil is expected to surpass his current biggest movie, Weapons ($270 million worldwide), by the end of this week or sooner. It currently stands at $247.6 million worldwide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd1gb19A-c What's propelling Resident Evil higher was its release in China this week--it debuted there on October 5, and it's expected to make $35 million in China for its first week. If this comes to fruition, Resident Evil should pass $280 million globally this week. The previous Resident Evil movies from director Paul W.S. Anderson also performed phenomenally in China. The last one, 2016's The Final Chapter, made $159.5 million in China alone, making up more than 51% of the movie's worldwide gross of $312.2 million. It's the highest-grossing Resident Evil movie ever. Cregger's Resident Evil still has work to do to catch up. Cregger's earlier movie, 2022's Barbarian, made $46 million worldwide. Long before that, Cregger made Miss March, and it earned $4.6 million worldwide. In terms of all video game movies, Resident Evil ranks No. 17, but if it does indeed reach $280 million, it will pass 2018's Tomb Raider ($274.6 million worldwide). Resident Evil is doing great commercially and scored solid reviews from critics, so people might expect a sequel. That could happen, but Cregger has said he's finished with franchise movies, even though he does have ideas for more stories. Cregger's next movie is The Flood, a deep-space sci-fi movie starring Jennifer Lawrence. It has nothing to do with Halo, despite bearing a name with ties to Halo...
Like the seemingly unending comic book movie craze, Hollywood loves to find a type of film that it can turn into the next big cultural touchstone. Over the years, we've seen movies based on video games attempt to reach that level, with varying levels of success. We've seen adaptations of games for decades, but, to be fair, a lot of these were awful adaptations. Many of them missed the point of the source material and were clumsily executed--although we'll always have a soft spot for the 1994 Street Fighter movie--but lately, we've seen some big changes in this genre. The Super Mario Bros. Movie took the world by storm when it was released, earning an obscene amount of cash at the box office, while the Uncharted and both Sonic the Hedgehog movies were also successful. With fresh new IPs to option, dozens of video game movies have been announced over the last couple of years, and while production is moving swiftly on several of them, many more appear to be trapped in the lowest levels of development hell. We're hopeful that we'll see some progress on these long-in-development films, but until Hollywood says otherwise, here's a deep dive into the video game movies that could be showing at your local cinema in the future. If there's not an attached release date or it's not a sequel, though, keep in mind these could also just never be made in the end. 
Elden Ring Release date: March 3, 2028 Not only is an Elden Ring movie officially in development at powerhouse distributor A24, but the project will be written and directed by Alex Garland of Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Civil War fame. Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin--who helped to develop the lore of the Elden Ring video game--is also involved as a producer on the movie project. Scheduled to hit cinemas in 2027, the Elden Ring movie has also found its cast: Warfare's Kit Connor has been confirmed to star in the film, and he'll be joined by Ben Whislaw, Tom Burke, Havana Rose Liu, Sonoya Mizuno, Jonathan Pryce, Ruby Cruz, John Hodgkinson, Jefferson Hall, Emma Laird, and Peter Serafinowicz. With production underway, some leaks have emerged from the set, like a closer look at Queen Marika Advertisement 
Helldivers Announced at CES 2025, Helldivers is one of two projects currently in development through Sony and its subsidiary, Columbia Pictures. Helldivers is essentially a spiritual successor to Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers film, and is set in a future where humanity worships freedom and the concept of managed democracy. The games have a cheeky sense of humor, and the studio behind them would love to see several A-list celebrities in the movie--provided that they're killed off in hilariously over-the-top scenes. The film project has also found its director in Justin Lin, who helmed several Fast and Furious movies. Originally scheduled to launch in November 2027, Sony recently pushed the movie back to June 2028. Advertisement 
Watch Dogs More than 10 years after it was first announced, filming finally began on Watch Dogs in July, a series of open-world games published by Ubisoft and featuring hacktivist gameplay. Directed by Mathieu Turi (The Deep Dark), the film Tom Blyth and Sophia Wilde. Additional casting details or a release date have yet to be revealed. Principal photography wrapped up in September, and the project is now in its post-production phase. Advertisement 
Gears of War One of those video game movie adaptations that has been stuck in development hell for years, it looks like the next stab at making a live-action Gears of War film is happening at Netflix. The streaming giant has partnered with Gears of War developer The Coalition to not only make a big-budget movie, but also an animated series based on the series of games featuring burly soldiers waging war against the merciless forces of the Locust. Advertisement 
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 With Sonic the Hedgehog 3 being massively profitable, another sequel was inevitable. Earlier this year, Paramount has announced that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be racing into theaters on March 19, 2027, but details are being kept under wraps for now. Advertisement 
El Paso, Elsewhere First announced in 2024, the feature film adaptation of El Paso, Elsewhere is already lining up some big talent to potentially headline it. Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield was said to be in talks to star in and produce the movie alongside Di Bonaventura Pictures (Transformers), but since then, there has been nothing but radio silence on the project. Advertisement .jpg)
Death Stranding Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding takes place in a fascinating universe, one where an extinction-level event has almost wiped out humanity and where being caught out in the rain is a painful death sentence. It's also weird as hell, packed with some very recognizable Hollywood faces, and it has no shortage of material to explore. The feature film adaptation was announced back in 2022, and in December 2023, film and television company A24 officially revealed its partnership with Kojima Productions to bring Death Stranding to life… or Death. Kojima has big plans for this IP, as not only is he involved in the production of the Death Stranding movie, but he's also planning to create a Death Stranding film universe. Advertisement 
Death Stranding: Mosquito [Working title] Not only is a live-action Death Stranding movie in development, so too is an "adult-targeted" animated movie. This one is still in the early stages of development, but what we do know so far is that Aaron Guzikowski--writer of the 2013 Denis Villeneuve movie Prisoners--will work on the screenplay and it'll be tonally similar to both Predator: Killer of Killers and the upcoming John Wick animated prequel. Advertisement 
Call of Duty Call of Duty has been one of the biggest video game franchises for decades now, and at long last, that blockbuster action is headed to the big screen. Paramount will develop, produce, and distribute a live-action feature film based on Call of Duty, and the film company says that it's "committed to honoring the brand’s rich narrative and distinctive style" of this adaptation. It's still early days for the project, but Paramount has recruited some of its best writers for the project, including Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. Since then, we've also gotten confirmation that the film will be set in the Modern Warfare continuity, which focuses on contemporary storylines inspired by real-life conflicts and wars. Advertisement 
The Legend of Zelda Release date: April 30, 2027 A live-action Legend of Zelda movie is on the way, and the co-production between Nintendo and Sony Pictures is scheduled to arrive on May 7, 2027. The movie has also found its lead actors, as Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason, and Link will be portrayed by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. The film will be directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner series and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), and the filmmaker says he wants to blend live-action with Hayao Miyazaki aesthetics so that the project feels realistic and fantastical. "I've been thinking about it for a long freakin' time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be… I want to fulfill people’s greatest desires. I know it’s important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape," Ball said in an interview. Advertisement 
A Minecraft Movie Squared Release date: July 23, 2027 Scheduled to arrive in July 2027, A Minecraft Movie director Jared Hess will return to helm the sequel. Advertisement 
Arc Raiders One of the hit games of 2025, Arc Raiders from Embark Studios has been optioned for a film and TV series deal. The game is an extraction shooter set in a dark future where deadly "ARC" machines have ravaged Earth and humanity has retreated underground. Only Raiders are brave enough to venture to the surface for supplies, but the only thing more dangerous than a homicidal machine might be your fellow scavengers. The new project is currently in development at the North Road Company's Chernin Entertainment film and TV division. Advertisement 
The Finals Arc Raiders isn't the only Nexon IP being considered for film and TV, as the popular free-to-play first-person shooter The Finals has also landed at Chernin Entertainment. "Nexon’s agreement with Chernin Entertainment is the next big step in growing ARC Raiders and The Finals into deeply integrated transmedia experiences that reward the passion of our global player community," Nexon executive chairman and Embark Studios founder and CEO Patrick Söderlund said to Variety. Advertisement 
Split Fiction One of the best games of the year has only been out for a few months, and Hollywood is already looking to bring it to the big screen. Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney is currently set to star in it, with Jon M. Chu directing. Work has begun on a script, with Deadpool and Wolverine screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick working on it. Advertisement 
BioShock Netflix announced a BioShock movie back in 2022, and while the project appears to be in limbo, and The Boys and Novacaine actor Jack Quaid recently said that he would "love" to be in it. Other than that tidbit of dream casting, details on the movie have been locked up tight, but a 2024 report did claim that budget cuts at Netflix had forced the movie project to be "reconfigured" into a smaller and more personal film. Advertisement .jpg)
Just Cause Just Cause, a series of open-world video games where character development takes a backseat to gloriously over-the-top explosions, is the perfect vehicle for a gratuitously violent popcorn blockbuster with a bloated pyrotechnics budget. It has been a long time since we've heard any news on the project, as in 2017, the film was set to be directed by Brad Peyton and would star Jason Momoa. Peyton eventually dropped out and was replaced by Michael Dowse (Stuber), but since then, there's been nothing but radio silence on this project. Advertisement .jpg)
Just Dance While the heyday of dancing movies is long over, there might still be room for Ubisoft's infectiously fun Just Dance series to shine on the silver screen. The only problem here is that after production company Screen Gems won the motion picture rights to Just Dance all the way in 2019, we've heard next to nothing on the status of this project. Advertisement 
Untitled Sonic Universe movie Paramount announced a new Sonic-related movie project for release in theaters on December 22, 2028. Details on it have yet to be revealed, but the company is referring to it as a "Sonic Universe" movie. Advertisement .jpg)
Martha is Dead Don't let the title fool you, because this isn't a Batman prequel movie! Instead, Martha is Dead is a creepy thriller set against the backdrop of Italy during World War 2. As the twin sister of Martha, who was recently discovered drowned and dead in a lake, players had to navigate a tangled web of mystery as the Allied war machine edged closer to home. The game developer, LKA, has teamed up with UK publisher Wired Productions and Swedish film production company Studios Extraordinaires for this film project. Advertisement .jpg)
Metal Gear Solid Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts's Metal Gear Solid project has been gestating for close to a decade now, and it looks increasingly likely that it's stuck in development hell. Updates have been few and far between, with the last notable mention of the film being in 2022 when Oscar Isaac--who is attached to play Solid Snake--mentioned that the focus was on finding a good story to do the legendary game justice. Advertisement 
Bloodborne A Bloodborne sequel might not ever see the light of day, but at least fans of From Software’s dark horror adventure can look forward to an animated feature film. Sony Pictures is set to release the film, and according to reports, the R-rated Bloodborne movie will remain "very true" to the bloody spirit of its source material. YouTuber and gamer Seán McLoughlin--AKA JackSepticEye--is also on board as a producer, and he's aiming to do justice to the cult-classic game. Advertisement .jpg)
Pac-Man We've had Pac-Man cartoon series, a starring role in a Futurama episode, and a villainous turn in an Adam Sandler film, and at long last, Bandai Namco's pellet-chomping hero is ready for top billing. A live-action project based on an original idea from Sonic the Hedgehog movie producer Chuck Williams has been announced, but there have been no further details revealed yet on the potential cast, director, or a release date since the 2022 announcement. Advertisement .jpg)
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu sequel 2019's Detective Pikachu had a great box office run, sleuthing up an impressive $433 million worldwide. A sequel starring the gumshoe electric rat was a safe bet, but several years later, details on the sequel have been hard to come by. A representative for Legendary Entertainment said that the film is still "in active development," but beyond that, details on this movie are scarcer than a shiny Pokemon in the wild. Advertisement .jpg)
Poppy Playtime We might be looking at a new boom in horror movies starring sadistic mascots after the success of Five Nights at Freddy's, and you can add Poppy Playtime to that list. The original game is set in an abandoned toy factory inhabited by killer collectibles, and for the film adaptation, Studio71 is handling production duties. The studio is well-known for its work on the recent VHS horror movies, making this company a good fit for the unique terror of Poppy Playtime. Advertisement .jpg)
Portal It has been a long time since there has been any movement on Portal, Valve's wonderfully challenging game of interdimensional puzzles, but producer JJ Abrams really wants you to know that the film project isn't dead yet. Or at least, it was definitely still being worked on in 2021 when Abrams mentioned that a script was being written. Is the film cake a lie? Only time will tell. Advertisement .jpg)
Rabbids It was only a matter of time until the Minions of video games, Rabbids, were optioned for a film deal. Film production company Lionsgate landed the movie rights to Ubisoft's Rabbids in 2019, but like several other video game movie projects, this appears to be another gaming IP stuck in development hell, much to the relief of parents across the world. Advertisement 
Outlast An incredibly terrifying series of first-person survival-horror games, Outlast is coming to the big screen as part of a deal between Lionsgate and developer Red Barrels. Still at an early stage of development, writer JT Perry--who has worked on the stories for the games themselves--will be penning the screenplay. Advertisement 
OutRun An adaptation of Sega's classic racing game series is in development, and while details on it are slim, we do know that Michael Bay is attached to direct. The first game originally debuted in arcades in 1986 and was subsequently ported to Master System, Genesis, Saturn, and PC over the years, with several sequels following in its wake. The last entry in the series was OutRun Online Arcade, which was developed by Sumo Digital and was released in 2009. Advertisement .jpg)
Saints Row Another video game movie possibly stuck in development hell, there have been zero updates on the Saints Row project for several years now. At the time, writer Greg Russo said that his script was inspired by The Warriors and Escape from New York, and F. Gary Gray (The Fate of the Furious) was set to direct it. Advertisement .jpg)
Sifu John Wick creator Derek Kolstad announced his plans to adapt the hard-hitting action game Sifu to the big screen in 2022, bringing the bone-crunching brutality of this martial arts epic to life. While the story of a martial arts prodigy out for revenge is fairly standard stuff in the genre, Sifu's added twist is that the vengeance-driven protagonist is in possession of a magical talisman that can bring them back to life, but they'll age after each use. Kolstad envisions the film as John Wick meets M. Night Shyamalan's Old, which should make for an interesting action film if it ever gets greenlit. Advertisement .jpg)
Slime Rancher Slime Rancher is one of the most adorable games around--and one of the highest-rated on Steam--as the core pitch of wrangling cute blobs on a distant alien planet makes for some engaging fun. Not much is known about this project yet, but what we do know is that the story of young rancher Beatrix LeBeau is being adapted by Story Kitchen, a production company set up by John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. Advertisement .jpg)
Space Channel 5 One of the defining games of the Sega Dreamcast, Space Channel 5 might sound like an obscure property to revive as a movie, but this wacky game has an equally weird pitch that could put butts in seats. The film version has been described as a mix of comedy and dance, all set to the story of a hapless fast-food worker who is recruited by a freedom reporter from the future to save the world from aliens. How? By using the power of viral dancing to save the day. So basically, TikTok: The Movie. Advertisement 
Space Invaders Invaders! From space! New Line Cinema announced in 2019 that the classic Taito arcade game was headed to a movie screen near you, but several years later, it looks like those hostile extraterrestrials might have gotten stuck in a black hole on the way. Mortal Kombat writer Greg Russo was hired to write the script back then, but there's been no word then about the status of this alien invasion project. Advertisement .jpg)
Stray Currently in development at Annapur(r)na Animation, Stray is another recent game destined for a silver screen debut in the future. The original game mixed stealth and post-apocalyptic vibes, but with the neat twist of controlling an orange tabby cat looking for a way back home. Along the way, the cat crosses paths with the flying drone B12, an ally who helps the furry creature escape a city of robots and parasites. Advertisement 
Street Fighter Release date: October 16 After Talk to Me directors Duo Danny and Michael Philippou dropped out of making the Street Fighter movie, it looked like this project would remain stuck in development hell. The good news is that production kicked off properly once Kitao Sakurai stepped into the role of director, and the film features a stacked cast of actors and professional wrestlers. Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, Noah Centineo, and David Dastmalchian are just some of the actors in the massive cast, and so far, it looks like the Street Fighter movie is an unapologetic love letter to Capcom's revered fighting game franchise. Advertisement .jpg)
Streets of Rage Yet another project with a John Wick link to it, Sega's rough-and-tough Streets of Rage adaptation is once again a film that Derek Kolstad is involved with. An action-packed staple of the '90s, Streets of Rage was successfully revived several years ago for a fourth outing, and a new game in the series is on the way as part of Sega's new initiative to flex some retro muscles. Advertisement 
Talking Tom If there's one thing that Hollywood has proven over the years, it's that anything can be a movie--even a collection of mobile apps featuring anthropomorphic animals talking back to you. The jury is still out on whether a good Talking Tom movie is possible, and to make things even weirder, this live-action project from Outfit7 has recruited Assassin's Creed producer Jean-Julien Baronnet to help it make the leap from mobile to big screen. Baronnet is also the producer of the Rabbids Invasion television series, so this looks like a good fit. Advertisement .jpg)
Bendy and the Ink Machine What if Walt Disney ditched Mickey Mouse for blood-curdling horror? You'd have Bendy and the Ink Machine, a delightfully macabre send-up of classic animation full of devious puzzles to solve. With Five Nights at Freddy proving to be a huge hit at the box office, horror games are quickly being optioned by studios and this adaptation will be handled by Radar Pictures, the company behind the Jumanji reboots. Beyond that, not much else is known about the project other than Bendy creator Paul Crawford's pledge to make a "quality" film that honors the source material. Advertisement .jpg)
Comix Zone Comix Zone, a game for which advertisements were plastered over pretty much every Marvel and DC comic book in 1995, is another retro game property coming to the big screen eventually, maybe. First announced in 2022 and described as a loose adaptation of the game--which was inspired in turn by comic books of the era--the film will follow "a jaded comic book creator and a writer who find themselves sucked into the final issue of his popular series and must fight their way out of the printed pages to stop a supervillain hellbent on destruction”. Written by Mae Catt (Young Justice), the film is also aiming to explore the power of storytelling. Advertisement 
Clair Obscura: Expedition 33 Before the game's arrival on PC and console, it was announced that a live-action adaptation was in development. While Clair Obscura: Expedition 33 has drawn eyes to its turn-based RPG action thanks to its impressive visuals, the game does have a fascinating plot that revolves around a deadly goddess awakening once a year to cause calamity amongst the surviving humans. "Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away," the official synopsis reads. "Year by year, that number ticks down and more of us are erased. Tomorrow she'll wake and paint 33. And tomorrow we depart on our final mission--Destroy the Paintress, so she can never paint death again." Advertisement 
Horizon Zero Dawn Sony is looking at a feature film adaptation of one of its biggest IPs, as while Horizon was originally lined up to get a live-action Netflix series, last year it was reported that the project wasn't moving forward due to workplace misconduct allegations surrounding The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where human civilization has reverted back to a primitive state following a cataclysmic robot uprising, the film follows the outcast Aloy as she looks to unite the tribes of humanity to prepare for a massive threat that could wipe out all life on the planet if left unchecked. Advertisement .jpg)
Duke Nukem Is the world ready for Duke Nukem's return? A relic of the video game past--for good and bad reasons--the legendary gunslinger is making his way to theaters in a film project from the producers behind Cobra Kai. This will be an entirely new production when compared to the ill-fated Duke Nukem project that was set to star John Cena, and it was first announced in 2022. Since then, there has been radio silence on the project and it has no names attached to direct, write, or star in it. Advertisement .jpg)
Firewatch Campo Santo's story-focused and solitary adventure game Firewatch might sound like an odd choice for a film adaptation, but producers Snoot Entertainment are aiming to bring the interactive piece of art to the big screen. No other details, such as casting announcements or tentative release window, have been revealed since the 2020 announcement, but at the time, Camp Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman had nothing but high praise for the project and the people attached to it. Advertisement .jpg)
Ghost of Tsushima Back in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima arrived to send off the PS4 generation in grand style. A samurai tale with gorgeous visuals and intense action, the game attracted the attention of John Wick director Chad Stahelski and was quickly added to his slate of projects. Don't expect to Ghost of Tsushima on the big screen soon, as the director is currently focused on a Highlander reboot starring Henry Cavill as the legendary swordsman. Stahelski intends to create an "epic" atmosphere of samurai action while also seeing just how far he can "push the color palette" on this project. We also know that Sony is developing a Ghost of Tsushima anime spin-off, with this adaptation being handled by Demon Slayer studio Aniplex. Advertisement .jpg)
Gravity Rush Gravity Rush has managed to escape the pull of development hell since it was first announced in 2022, as work steadily continues on it. Anna Mastro (Secret Society of Second Born Royals) is reportedly the director, and at CES 2024, an entire five seconds of footage was seen during Sony's press conference. Unlike the anime-inspired 2012 game, this version of Gravity Rush appears to be taking a more realistic approach as it brings the gravity-defying world of Hekseville to life. Advertisement 
Dark Deception Survival-horror game Dark Deception is being adapted for the big screen, with development being led by writers Adrian Speckert and Cory Todd Hughes. The original game is a story-driven first-person horror maze game in which you must run, hide, or die at the hands of mysterious monsters. Advertisement 
Rider's Republic Ubisoft's extreme sports live-service game Rider's Republic is also getting a feature film adaptation, and it'll be helmed by Bad Boys: Ride or Die directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Rider's Republic doesn't have much of a story to adapt, but the setting for the game--an extremely sporty festival set in the Alps where players can take part in a wide variety of activities--is being expanded on for this movie project. Advertisement .jpg)
Dead by Daylight For anyone yearning for a good ol' slasher horror movie, you might want to keep your eyes peeled for Dead by Daylight. The longrunning multiplayer horror game has long been considered a love letter to cinematic terror, and its feature film adaptation will be produced by Blumhouse and James Wan (The Conjuring, Insidious). Advertisement .jpg)
Days Gone Days Gone was an interesting--but flawed--first-party game when it first launched on PS4 in 2019, and while it didn't reach the same levels of success as Marvel's Spider-Man or Ghost of Tsushima, it might be better suited for the silver screen. A tale of love, bikers, and zombies in a post-apocalyptic world, the script for this adaptation has been written by Sheldon Turner (X-Men: First Class and the Road House remake) and is said to have a modern-day Western feel to it. Sam Heughan (Outlander) is reportedly attached to play the protagonist Deacon St. John. Advertisement 
The Medium Horror games make for great movie adaptations--like Silent Hill and Five Nights at Freddy's to name a few--and Bloober Team's 2021 game The Medium is also headed to the big sccreen. This project is currently in development underUntil Dawn writer Gary Dauberman's Coin Operated production company and a search is now on to find a writer and a director. Advertisement 
The House of the Dead Based on Sega's zombie-slaying shoot-'em-up series, The House of the Dead will be written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who previously helmed the Resident Evil and Monster Hunter movies. Superman and Alien: Romulus star Isabela Merced has been cast as the lead, and Anderson plans for this production to be an immersive feature that plays out in real-time, giving viewers a "full-on terror ride" that will drop them straight into the action. Advertisement 
Atari classics For a blast from the past, you can soon look forward to several new movies based on classic Atari video games. Universal Pictures and Entertainment 360 have inked a deal to bring these games to the big screen, and the list so far includes several--probably forgotten--hits of yesteryear: Asteroids Adventure Berzerk Breakout Centipede Crystal Castles Millipede Missile Command Pong Yars’ Revenge Advertisement...
Video games are the new battlefield for movie ideas, and after a reported bidding war, it appears Sony Pictures is the frontrunner to secure the rights to the Battlefield movie. The Wrap reported that Sony Pictures was in the lead position to win the rights, and The Hollywood Reporter backed this up. The Battlefield movie package reportedly includes Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie behind the camera, with Oscar-winner Michael B. Jordan in the mix to star and produce it. McQuarrie is also writing and producing. Universal, Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery (now operating under Skydance) all reportedly submitted bids for the Battlefield movie. The Wrap said the dealmaking process is "shaping up to be the biggest bidding war of the year." The report did not mention any dollar numbers attached to the bids, or any other particulars, however. For example, if Netflix closes the deal, many might expect the film to be released on streaming instead of theatrically (but even at Netflix these days that's not a certainty). In the video game landscape, Battlefield and Call of Duty are rivals, and now they could become film foes, too. Skydance is making a Call of Duty movie, with Sicario's Taylor Sheridan writing and Lone Survivor's Peter Berg directing. The latest Battlefield game, meanwhile, was 2025's Battlefield 6, which was the year's best-selling game overall in the US, surpassing Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. EA and Battlefield Studios will continue to support the game with more updates and new content into 2027. In 2024, Battlefield boss Vince Zampella--who has since passed away--said EA had held discussions about a Battlefield movie or TV show already. A decade ago, Paramount bought the rights to make a Battlefield TV show, but it never materialized. In 2012, Fox was developing an hour-long comedy show based on the Battlefield: Bad Company series, with Adam Sandler's company signed on. This show also did not come to fruition. Sony Pictures makes a lot of video game movies If Sony Pictures succeeds in winning the Battlefield movie rights, it will be just the latest big get in the gaming space for the film studio. Sony Pictures was behind the recent release of Zach Cregger's highly successful Resident Evil movie, and that movie's co-producer, Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment, is producing Battlefield as well. Sony Pictures is also behind 2027's The Legend of Zelda live-action movie, which it's making in partnership with Nintendo. Sony's PlayStation Productions division, meanwhile, was behind films like 2022's Uncharted, 2023's Gran Turismo, and 2025's Until Dawn, to name a few...