New “Street Fighter” Movie Sets Release Date – 50 Cent Takes to Instagram to Show Off His Prep for the Role
After repeated delays, the arcade-inspired “Street Fighter” revival movie has officially finalized its release date, and many of its cast members have taken to social media in anticipation for the upcoming film. Of those involved in bringing the “Street Fighter” characters back to life for a new era, one stands out among the rest – 50 Cent and his role as Balrog, the boxing villain inspired by Mike Tyson.
Based on the video game series of the same name, the “Street Fighter” movie franchise has a bit of a rocky history. It’s been over 30 years since the original live-action “Street Fighter” cult-classic came out, which received very mixed reviews upon its initial release. Some consider the ‘94 flick to be one of the worst big-screen live-action video game adaptations of all time for being too campy and too different from the video games, but there are an equal number of fans who love the film for its colorful plot and its self-aware tone, making fun of its own absurdity.
Regardless of whether the original was good or bad, it helped pave a way for the subgenre of video game-inspired movies, which has had a resurgence in recent years. More and more video game movie adaptations have been coming out (“A Minecraft Movie,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Mortal Kombat,” to name a few) seeing great success at the box offices.
50 Cent as ‘Balrog’
Just a few weeks ago, 50 Cent revealed that he’d be taking on the role as Balrog in the upcoming “Street Fighter” reimagining, a character who was introduced to the SF world in 1991, originally named M. Bison, and inspired by Mike Tyson. Last week 50 posted a promo reel on Instagram which showed a brief clip of his training regime for the role, while donning the iconic Balrog haircut. The zig-zagging cut paired with his boxing prowess (50 used to be a boxer before he took to rapping) speaks highly to his dedication to the role, and his excitement is infectious. Even LeBron, who reposted the clip on his X account, is looking forward to it.
“Street Fighter” For a New Generation
The new movie takes place in 1993 (just around the same time the original movie released) and centers on a group of martial arts fighters competing in the World Warrior Tournament – a competition designed to pit the greatest fighters against one another in a battle of “fists, fate and fury.” Other prominent actors appearing in the movie include Jason Momoa, Eric André, Noah Centineo and countless others, rounding out an A-list cast.
“Street Fighter” is slated for worldwide release next year, October 16th, 2026, so there’s still plenty of time to see how things will shape up.
