Week 2.
Hadouken! And we’re back. OK. Last time I left ya with a cliffhanger and this week we’ll get right to it. Rounding out our cast, portraying Gen, the sage kung-fu master and Chun Li’s mentor, will be none other than…Robin Shou! Sound familiar? It should. Robin already brought one of the most famous video game characters of all time to life, as Mortal Kombat’s Liu Kang. So it should come as no surprise that Street Fighter will be right up his alley. I’ve seen the man in full costume and makeup and I promise you this- the dude is damn near unrecognizable. But hey, don’t take my word for it. Behold an EXCLUSIVE first look at…Robin Shou as Gen!
I hope you enjoyed last week’s intro, cuz we’re about to hit the ground running with some more good bits on what you can expect from Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. I want to say first, a resounding thank you to all the news sites for posting word of our little blog we got goin’ here. With your help, it spread across the net like wildfire. Some good feedback, and yeah, some negative. I follow it all. I hear ya. And that’s what I want to address. Actually, better yet, I’m gonna have our screenwriter, Justin Marks do it instead. Trust me, this dude is one of the good guys. An action buff and more importantly, a gamer to the core. After you read the following, you’ll see that he has your best interests at heart. Enjoy…
“A movie based on the Street Fighter game? But it doesn’t even have a plot!”
I’ve heard this line before. A few times. Whenever I talk to people who don’t know much about Street Fighter, it’s always the first thing they say.
But any true fan of Street Fighter knows about its rich world, its colorful palette of characters, and complicated web of varying interests and betrayals. No story? You’re just not paying attention.
The way I approached the writing of Street Fighter’s script was simple. Throw away everything and start with character. For just a moment, forget about the fights, forget about the costumes, forget about the flaming Hadoukens… go back to the essence of what the characters are about.
See, I think the Street Fighter world is epic. I think it’s got a huge story, and it’s busting at the seams.
But to start, it would be a HUGE mistake to say, “How many characters can we pack into this movie without regard to whether it makes sense?” Think of the X-Men franchise. Think of the way it started with a simple story of Wolverine trying to find a place in the world. And then it spawned an entire universe of amazing characters. If we didn’t keep this movie grounded, we would risk turning Street Fighter into a parody of itself. And to those of us who are fans of fighting franchises, the last thing we want is a movie that doesn’t take itself seriously.
It starts and ends with character. Everything else is just window dressing. Easter eggs (keep your eyes peeled…). Setups for a sequel. Moments that reference favorite moves from the game. They are all secondary to what a good movie should be about: the people in it.
And there are many great people in the STREET FIGHTER franchise. Ryu vs. Ken is the obvious one. Sagat and his quest for honor is another. It was just a question of picking one hero to start it all, one who’s never really gotten her moment in the spotlight…
Chun-Li. She comes from nothing. She’s an unlikely hero. And then, against all odds, this little girl who everyone wrote off eventually saves the day.
You don’t get any better than that. She’s a movie legend waiting to happen. And believe me, if this movie finds its audience the way I think it will, fans should brace themselves for many more Street Fighter movies. This isn’t just another video game adaptation. This is the beginning of something we’ve never seen before.
Get ready for it. – Justin Marks
That do anything for ya? How ‘bout a little more dirt on the film from a man who knows a thing or two about a thing or two? I pulled up a chair next to Producer and Hyde Park Chairman Ashok Amritraj (Death Sentence, Walking Tall, Boondock Saints). Here’s some of what he had to say…
On why he chose to bring Street Fighter to the big screen: “Street Fighter has been such an iconic title over the years, but it actually started with my kids and I talking about it. I have two kids and they’re big video game fans. One day we were talking about games and Street Fighter, which is one of their favorites, was one of the names that came up. It just kind of developed from there. So I gotta say thanks to my kids!”
On Neal McDonough as Bison: “This is actually the 3rd film Neal and I have done together (Walking Tall, and the upcoming Traitor) and I just couldn’t think of anybody better to play Bison. He’s got the eyes, he’s got the look, and trust me, he’s going to scare the hell out of you.”
On Robin Shou as Gen: “I remember Robin from ‘the old days’- and he’s matured very well. He’s perfect for the role of Gen. He and Kristen will look great together as master and pupil.”
On the relationship between Andrzej Bartkowiak and Dion Lam: “Andrzej and Dion are like the yin and the yang, we’ve got these two units shooting full-time, one with all the acting and the other with all the action and then it all sort of melds together. Its beautiful, like a well choreographed action ballet. Dion is a total star, he’s brilliant.”
So there ya have it Fight fans. Another week, in the bag. Next week brings another set report and some more visual goodness to satisfy your thirst (including more new character photos). I’ve attached another one of Ted’s wicked storyboards below. And with that, I’m out with a sonic BOOM!
– Aaron Horwitz
