Street Fighter Moves To Paramount With A 2026 Release Date

The move comes after months of speculation about where the franchise would land, and it signals that the long-running video game adaptation is getting another major Hollywood push.

Legendary found a new home for its Street Fighter reboot, and it is bringing the gloves to Paramount. The studio just signed a fresh distribution deal and immediately planted Street Fighter on the calendar, setting up a 2026 showdown with Mortal Kombat II. Yes, the 90s rivalry lives.

So, what changed?

Legendary has been developing Street Fighter since 2023. It was originally parked at Columbia Pictures with a March 2026 date before getting pulled off the schedule. With cameras rolling, the big question was who would release it and when. Now we have the answer: Paramount stepped in with a three-year distribution pact and locked the movie for October 16, 2026.

Street Fighter details: the movie, the setup, the vibe

Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip) is directing. The movie is set in 1993 — the same year Street Fighter II hit — which is a very specific and nerdy choice that I absolutely respect.

The story centers on estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), who get pulled back into the arena when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. There is a bigger conspiracy under the ring ropes, and it pushes old friends toward a possible collision. The official logline leans hard into arcade energy and basically ends with 'do this or it is game over.'

Let them fight: Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat II

Warner Bros. recently bumped Mortal Kombat II to May 15, 2026. Paramount just dated Street Fighter for October 16, 2026 — almost exactly five months later. It is not a same-week clash, but in franchise terms it is a very pointed one. In the 90s, these two owned the fighting-game space and split fanbases down the middle. Now we get round two at the box office.

Paramount is leaning into video-game IP

Street Fighter joins Sonic the Hedgehog — one of Paramount's biggest performers — with Sonic the Hedgehog 4 already targeting 2027. The studio also recently said a Call of Duty movie is in development. You can see the strategy: build a lane as the 'video game franchise' shop and keep it moving.

Inside baseball: Legendary keeps changing dance partners

This Paramount deal is the third big studio tie-up Legendary has made since the late 2010s. They were with Warner Bros. from 2018 to 2021, but the relationship frayed when WB decided to release its entire 2021 slate in theaters and on streaming at the same time — a slate that included Legendary's Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong. Legendary then pivoted to Sony. That run was brief, and after box office misfires like The Machine and The Book of Clarence, the hunt for a new partner led to Paramount. Worth noting: Legendary still collaborates with Warner Bros. on Dune and the MonsterVerse titles despite the broader shift.

Why Paramount wants this now

Paramount is in a transition phase after the Skydance Media acquisition. Bringing Legendary into the fold gives the studio another pipeline of big, global plays — the kind of stuff that can prop up or rejuvenate legacy brands. If you are wondering whether this new alliance could bleed over and help recharge dormant Paramount tentpoles like Star Trek, Transformers, or G.I. Joe, that is clearly part of the hope.

Quick hits

• Distribution: Legendary signs a three-year deal with Paramount.
• Street Fighter release date: October 16, 2026 (Paramount).
• Competing franchise: Mortal Kombat II lands May 15, 2026 (Warner Bros.).
• Setting: 1993, the year Street Fighter II launched.
• Director: Kitao Sakurai.
• Cast (confirmed via synopsis): Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Callina Liang as Chun-Li.
• Previous plan: Originally dated by Columbia Pictures for March 2026 before being pulled.
• Legendary's studio shuffle: WB (2018–2021) -> Sony (short-lived) -> Paramount (now), with ongoing WB ties for Dune/MonsterVerse.
• Paramount's game IP push: Sonic franchise (Sonic 4 in 2027) and a Call of Duty movie in development.

A note on that cast list floating around

There is a 'placeholder poster' and some listings that plug in Jason Momoa as Blanka and WWE star Roman Reigns as Akuma. Fun picks, but they are not in the trade reporting that accompanied the new date. Until Paramount or Legendary says so out loud, treat those names as placeholder noise, not confirmed casting.

The obligatory corporate quote corner

'Street Fighter is the perfect start to our collaboration, which we believe will be strong and lasting.'

That is Paramount leadership talking up the partnership. Legendary's CEO Josh Grode, meanwhile, framed it as a growth play aimed at building more franchises for global audiences.