Lionsgate is officially developing a Streets of Rage movie. Streets of Rage is a Sega video game franchise that kicked off in 1991. The series follows three former police officers as they battle their way through enemy-filled streets in an attempt to bring down the evil mastermind Mr. X. Two sequels followed, with 1994's Streets of Rage 3 being the final installment until the series was revived in 2020 with Streets of Rage 4, which earned stellar reviews on its way to becoming a bestseller.
As reported by Sega's Streets of Rage franchise. Derek Kolstad, who wrote John Wick, Nobody, and Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, is set to pen the script. Kolstad will also serve as a producer on the project, which is excited to tackle, saying, "The 10-year-old me is still grinning."
What Streets Of Rage Could Be About
Unlike the recently announced Gear of War film adaptation, the Streets of Rage games feature a simple setup that allows players to walk the streets while fighting waves of enemies. While there was an end goal in taking down Mr. X, the plot was built to serve the function of the gameplay. So with a movie adaptation of Streets of Rage, the characters and world will likely need to be fleshed out.
Given Kolstad's enthusiasm for the project, the Streets of Rage movie will likely stay close to the source material. Players had three characters to choose from in the original game, Axel, Blaze, and Adam, meaning those are the characters game fans will want to see. If they decide to pull characters from throughout the franchise, it's possible to see Blaze or Max as well, but they weren't introduced until the second game. However, the villain of the story will still most likely be Mr. X and The Syndicate, which is the shadowy organization he leads.
As for the plot of the Streets of Rage film, that remains to be seen. Still, if pulled from the source material, it will follow former police officers who take the law into their own hands. Mr. X and The Syndicate could easily have an evil grip on the city, with the rogue officers forced into action, which could play into ideas of police corruption and gangster antics. In addition, the film will likely feature plenty of fighting and hand-to-hand combat, which Kolstad is more than capable of writing, given his resume. With the Streets of Rage movie still in early development, information is still scarce, but fans of the game franchise should rest easy given Kolstad's experience.
Source: Deadline
