Lionsgate has acquired the movie rights to Streets of Rage, a classic beat 'em up video game series that was first published by Sega in 1991. Based on their commitment to bringing the Streets of Rage series to the big screen, it's evident that Lionsgate sees a lot of potential in the franchise.
A few months back, it was announced that the classic video game Streets of Rage is being adapted into a movie by dj2 Entertainment, with Amazon to finance the project. The studio is also responsible for the highly successful Sonic The Hedgehog 2 movie adaptation, which grossed over $400 million dollars worldwide. Given its track record, many fans and critics were incredibly excited about the upcoming Streets of Rage movie.
Now it is reported that the movie rights for Streets of Rage have changed hands and the adaptation is now being produced by Lionsgate. Derek Kolstad, the writer of John Wick, is still attached to the Streets of Rage movie as both a writer and producer. He's been with the project since its inception and is passionate about seeing it come to fruition. So far, not much is known about the movie such as when it will release or how it will be distributed (theatrical release or streaming service). But it has been announced that Toru Nakahara, who oversaw the production of the first two Sonic the Hedgehog movies, is returning to supervise the project for Sega alongside Shuji Utsumi.
The other notable development is that the Streets of Rage movie doesn't yet have a director in place. It's possible that the studio is still in the early stages of production and hasn't yet found the right person for the job. The original Streets of Rage game is a cult classic, and fans have been clamoring for a movie adaptation for years. Whoever helms the project will need to be able to capture the magic of the game while also putting their own spin on things. Currently, Lionsgate is also working on a huge video game adaptation of the upcoming Borderlands movie.
The news that the movie rights for Streets of Rage have changed hands is certainly interesting. Lionsgate is known for producing hit action movies like The Expendables and John Wick, so it seems like a perfect fit for the studio to adapt Streets of Rage into a feature film. The Streets of Rage game franchise has a huge and passionate fan following worldwide, and many of them will be hoping that Lionsgate will do justice to Streets of Rage and deliver an action-packed and entertaining film that lives up to the hype.
Source: TheGamer