Movies Dragonlord Fantasy Casting Vol. 25: STREET FIGHTER

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Update: July 26, 2025

Dragonlord Fantasy Casting Vol. 25: STREET FIGHTER

A new live-action Street Fighter movie is in the works from Legendary Pictures. For the past few months, they’ve filled up the cast for the video game adaptation. There were some good casting picks and some questionable choices. I thought it would be a fun exercise to come up with some of my own fancast since I already have a few ideas for some of the characters for a few years now. This Street Fighter Fantasy Casting also allows me to use my dusty actor-rolodex which I’ve been dying to employ some of the actors in it.

LINKS TO OTHER DRAGONLORD FANTASY CASTING:

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Vol. 1 - Ant-Man [Link]
Vol. 2 - Fantastic Four [Link]
Vol. 3 - Black Panther [Link]
Vol. 4 - Guardians of the Galaxy [Link]
Vol. 5 - Doctor Strange [Link]
Vol. 6 - Justice League [Link]
Vol. 7 - X-Men reboot [Link]
Vol. 8 - Daredevil [Link]
Vol. 9 - Inhumans [Link]
Vol. 10 - Spider-Man reboot [Link]
Vol. 11 - Preacher [Link]
Vol. 12 - Captain Marvel [Link]
Vol. 13 - Old Man Logan [Link]
Vol. 14 - Namor: The Submariner [Link]
Vol. 15 - Cloak and Dagger [Link]
Vol. 16 - Aladdin [Link]
Vol. 17 - Cable [Link]
Vol. 18 - It: Chapter Two [Link]
Vol. 19 - Shang-Chi [Link]
Vol. 20 - Miss Marvel [Link]
Vol. 21 - Eternals [Link]
Vol. 22 - The Batman [Link]
Vol. 23 - Superman [Link]
Vol. 24 – Wonder Woman [Link]

FANTASY BATTLE:

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Avengers Vs. Guardians of the Galaxy [Link]

MOVIE OUTLINES:

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Namor: The Sub-Mariner [Link]
Old Man Logan [Link]
Captain Marvel [Link]

MOVIE REVISIONS AND MISC. STUFF:

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Revision for Avengers: Age of Ultron [Link]
Idea for the Ending of Avengers 4 [Link]
14 Ways to Fix Fantastic Four (2015) [Link]

 

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Ryu is the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series, first appearing in the original Street Fighter. He is an experienced martial artist, highly focused on his training, aiming to become the strongest he can. Ryu is Japanese and is depicted as a stoic martial artist from Japan.

I chose Mackenyu as my Ryu. Mackenyu (age 28) is a Japanese actor who is best known worldwide for his role as Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s One Piece live-action series. He also starred in manga adaptations of Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021), Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (2017), Tokyo Ghoul (2019) and Knights of the Zodiac (2023).

Casting Mackenyu is like a full circle moment because he is the son of legendary actor Sonny Chiba (who gained international fame through his martial arts prowess) who starred in The Street Fighter (1974) which is the inspiration for the name of the Street Fighter video game.

The actual Street Fighter movie will enter production on August 2025 and they’ve cast Andrew Koji as Ryu. I’m a fan of the actor and he would be the perfect Karnak, but he just has the wrong look to play Ryu. Koji just exudes a bad guy aura, most likely because of his eyes.

 

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Ken Masters is the deuteragonist of the Street Fighter series, first appearing in the original Street Fighter. Similar to his longtime best friend and rival Ryu, Ken's goal is to test his power against many different fighters and strives to become stronger, but holds more restraint due to not wanting to jeopardize his family life.

Luke Eisner (age 28) is an actor, musician, and model. His screen work include Tall Girl (2019), Tiger Within (2020) and Uglies (2024). He is also a songwriter and is one half of the pop/rock duo VOILA.

 

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Chun-Li is the tritagonist and main female protagonist of the Street Fighter series. The first female fighter in the series, she is an expert martial artist and Interpol officer who relentlessly seeks revenge for the death of her father at the hands of M. Bison.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo (age 30) is my overwhelming choice for Chun-Li. I’ve been a big fan of the Australian actress from her work on Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, The Society and Guns Akimbo. Not a fan of her Sabine Wren portrayal in Ahsoka but that was more of a writing and direction deficiency.

 

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Guile is a pilot of United States Air Force whose goal is to destroy Shadaloo, a criminal organization who is responsible for the downfall of his best friend Charlie Nash. He started out as a major of the Air Force, until he is promoted to a colonel rank in Street Fighter V.

Among the popular actors working today, John Cena just seem to embody the look of a live-action Guile for me. Cena’s role as former US Army Colonel Jack Burns in Bumblebee movie (2018) was essentially Guile. Just put him in a tall, bright-blonde color, flat-topped hairstyle with a military cut and scowl a lot and that’s it, transformation complete.

My second choice for Guile is Alan Ritchson. The American actor has been getting significant recognition and praise for his starring role in the action crime drama series Reacher. One can easily draw parallel comparisons between his Jack Reacher and Guile.

 

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Dhalsim is a master of Yoga and possesses the ability to stretch his body and conjure fire. He is also a pacifist who goes against his beliefs by entering the World Warrior tournament to raise money for his poor village.

Dev Patel is my pick for the master Yogi. The British with Indian descent actor is best known for his screen work in Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, Hotel Mumbai and The Green Knight. The Oscar-nominated actor recently wrote, directed and starred in the revenge action film Monkey Man (2024) in which he trained rigorously to achieve a more athletic and muscular physique.

 

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E. Honda is one of the original eight playable characters in Street Fighter II, representing Japan alongside Ryu. His signature move is the Hundred Hand Slap, and he aims to promote sumo wrestling worldwide. He is depicted as honorable, friendly, and ambitious, particularly regarding the strength of sumo.

I had a hard time with this sumo wrestler casting. So with my very limited knowledge on the subject matter, I went with Hishofuji Hiroki, whom I remembered seeing in the sumo drama series Sanctuary (2023). He also appeared in John Wick: Chapter 4 playing a guard for the Osaka Continental hotel.

 

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Blanka is a feral man from the Brazilian jungle with green skin and long orange hair. Blanka's backstory is that he was once human, but after a plane-crash in Brazil, he mutated, resulting in his green coloring and his ability to generate electricity.

For my Blanka casting, I wanted a UFC fighter originating from Brazil and preferably can speak English well. He had to have a stocky physique but can move very fast and have a swift reflexes to reflect Blanka’s quick feral moves. I ended up with Gilbert Burns as Blanka. What won me over was distinctly remembering Burns’ rambunctious facial expressions during his post-fight win celebrations on the cage.

 

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Zangief is a national Russian hero who is always seen fighting for the glory of his country. Zangief primarily fights using grappling moves and is considered to be the first grappler-type fighting game character.

Olivier Richters is my pick to play the Russian grappler. Richters already looks the part. Just give him a mohawk haircut and transformation complete. The 7’2” professional bodybuilder and holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest professional bodybuilder. The Dutch Giant’s acting resume includes parts in Black Widow, The King’s Man, Borderlands and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He gained international recognition due to his fan-favorite stint as the imposing villainous bodyguard in Reacher season 3.

 

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Originally based on former professional boxer Mike Tyson, Balrog is a disgraced American boxer who loves booze, gambling and ladies. He is also a personal bodyguard to M. Bison.

Trevante Rhodes (age 35) gained recognition for his performance in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight. His other notable films include The Predator, 12 Strong and Bird Box. The American actor also portrayed Mike Tyson in the biographical miniseries Mike which already makes him a great fit for Balrog.

 

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Vega is a masked claw fighter from Spain who uses a personal fighting style combining Japanese ninjutsu and Spanish bullfighting, earning him the nickname of "Spanish Ninja". He is a claw-wielding, narcissistic Spanish ninja obsessed with beauty who also serves as a personal bodyguard to M. Bison.

Having limited knowledge on Spanish actors, I chose Miguel Angel Silvestre as the flamboyant Vega due to his role in Sense8 in which he played a closeted international action star struggling with his career and identity. His other works include Money Heist, Velvet, Narcos, 30 Coins and Sky Rojo.

 

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Sagat is a tall Muay Thai fighter from Thailand, characterized by his eye patch and a large scar on his chest. He is the "Emperor of Muay Thai" and a former member of Shadaloo, where he acted as a personal bodyguard for M. Bison.

Normally I would try to find a Thai fighter or Thai actor to play Sagat. But Sagat has such a distinct look that it’s hard to find a physical match. Ah screw it, I just chose with current UFC fighter Alex Pereira (age 38). A former two-division world champion in GLORY kickboxing, the 6’4 Pereira is considered one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time, with his accomplishments in both kickboxing and MMA solidifying his legacy.

 

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M. Bison is the main antagonist of the Street Fighter series, first appearing as the non-playable final boss in Street Fighter II before becoming playable in its update. A would-be world dictator and megalomaniac, M. Bison's ultimate ambition is to control the world's governments through his covert crime syndicate, Shadaloo.

Javier Bardem would be my top choice to play M. Bison. The actor just have that regal but menacing aura around him. You only need to see his villain roles in No Country for Old Men, Skyfall and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales among many others to see that he would be perfect as M. Bison.

 

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Cammy is the second female fighter in the series. She was once a deadly clone assassin that was created by Shadaloo as a replacement body for M. Bison. She worked for the organization before breaking free and becoming an MI6 operative for the British government as a member of Delta Red.

I’ve been meaning to cast British beauty Hermione Corfield for some quite time now ever since she made an impression on me in her brief appearance in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) as the record shop girl at the beginning of the film.

 

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Dee Jay is a Jamaican kickboxer with a Dutch kickboxing fighting style infused with rhythmic movements and elements of Capoeira. Based on real-life kickboxer Billy Blanks, Dee Jay has made enormous strides in fame in the world not just as a fighter, but also as a world-famous musician and recording artist.

I wanted a big UFC fighter with ties to Jamaica to play Dee Jay. Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Uriah Hall is a former professional MMA fighter and kickboxer with notable UFC wins against Gegard Mousasi, Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva.

 

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Fei Long is an action film star from Hong Kong who enters tournaments to test his skill as a martial artist. Fei-Long is Capcom's tribute to the Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do movie legend Bruce Lee, the basis for his design.

Chris Pang is an Australian actor and best known for his role in Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010). Pang is the son of Wing Chun instructors and he is also distantly related to Bruce Lee as Lee's father was a cousin of Pang's paternal grandmother, and both came from the same village in Canton.

 

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T. Hawk is a Native American from Mexico whose ancestral homeland was taken over by Shadaloo, forcing him into exile. T. Hawk is an immensely tall and bulky man with long, powerful arms and legs, massive hands and feet, shoulder-length slick brown hair and imposing facial features.

Geno Segers is a favorite casting choice of mine in the past, having him in my other Fantasy Casting (Eternals). The huge, imposing actor made a lasting impression on me for his antagonistic role in Banshee. Segers is known for his deep, rich bass voice and his voice has been compared to that of James Earl Jones.

 

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Charlie Nash is a former Captain of the United States Air Force and friend of Guile, long thought to be dead before being brought back to life as a puppet for the Secret Society.

Since I chose John Cena as my Guile, I wanted an actor that is more or less of the same age as Cena (age 48), has a tall and fit physique and convincingly look like they could be best buds. And that’s why I chose Jensen Ackles (age 47) as Charlie Nash. The actor is mostly known for his portrayal of Dean Winchester in the long-running series Supernatural (2005–2020) and has a recurring role as Soldier Boy in The Boys.

 

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Dan Hibiki is an arrogant, overconfident and feeble self-taught martial artist that runs a failing dojo. Despite initially being introduced as a joke character, the Hong Kong-born fighter has become a fan favorite due to his over-the-top personality, comical moves, and signature taunts.

I chose Byron Mann because I wanted a Hong Kong actor for the role. The Chinese-American actor played Ryu in the 1994 Street Fighter movie and I thought it would be cool for him to come back in a new Street Fighter adaptation as a different character. A veteran of the big and small screen, Mann can no doubt pull off the flamboyant and over-the-top personality of Hibiki.

 

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Sakura is a Japanese girl with an intense fixation on Ryu, having copied and learned many of his techniques, and chasing him around the world to prove herself to him.

Miku Martineau (mine!), who is of Japanese descent, is a recent new muse for me having been charmed by her beauty in Netflix’s Bet and in her media interviews. She made her big screen debut in Kate (2021) playing alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She also played a young Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31.