The Street Fighter project has begun casting, and you’ll see people being cast with a short list of credits on their IMDb pages or lack roles in action projects. That’s a good thing. It leaves fans of the game with fewer expectations since they don’t have much to go on. Granted, actors like Jason Momoa are established in their fields. That means you know what you're getting from them. Meanwhile, the others are still up in the air.
Coming up are the people cast in Street Fighter, who they’re playing, and whether or not they were good choices. Let’s start with the OTC (Original Tribal Chief).
Roman Reigns as Akuma
This writer initially thought Roman Reigns would play M. Bison, but this could be better. While Roman (whose real name is Leati Joseph Anoaʻi) is one of the best talkers in the WWE, he has an aura surrounding him. He doesn’t need to speak to make an impact.
My one concern is whether or not he’ll look believable when he starts throwing kicks. However, maybe he will stick to punches, or his stunt double will perform the Tatsumaki Zankukyaku.
Andrew Koji as Ryu
Fans have been saying for years that Street Fighter dropped the ball with Ryu in the 1994 movie and again by not using him in the next (The Legend of Chun Li). Knowing how crucial this role would be, the casting department probably brought in Andrew Koji to make things right.
This is the best casting on this list. Andrew Koji has played a plethora of action roles and has been great in all of them. One of the underrated ones may be in Boy Kills World. There was still a lot of action, but he played goofy well during the flick. Ryu may be serious more often than not, but the movie will likely have him be unserious more than once.
Jason Momoa as Blanka
You won’t find many who don’t love Jason Momoa. He has a big smile and a personality that people gravitate to. Having him play Blanka is genius because of that. Viewers will see him and be filled with joy because they know who's behind the green skin and orange hair.
Blanka is a classic character. He may not be popular among the gamers (his moves can be too stiff), but he’s easily recognized by people who know nothing about the game. That means he deserves to have someone who has the same vibe. Plus, it will be funny when Jason Momoa does Blanka’s Rolling Attack.
Callina Liang as Chun-Li
Initially, picking Callina Liang to play Chun Li seemed like a bad choice. There are a lot of women, Chinese action stars with experience. However, picking an up-and-coming star like Callina Liang was the smart move.
You want to be on the right side of history when she becomes a name people remember from the vast number of projects she will be in. The action part is important in a movie like this, but so is the acting. The latter is the more difficult part, and that’s something she’s good at.
Orville Peck as Vega
I don’t know anything about Orville Peck other than he rarely goes out without a mask on, sings country music, and can dance. After learning that he took ballet, I could immediately see him doing all of Vegas’ fluid and deadly moves. And, he always wears a mask. That’s absolutely a Vega thing.
Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki
Now, this was odd casting. Not because Andrew Schulz is white. In the case of Dan Hibiki, I don’t think his race or nationality matters. He'll also do a good job playing someone who brags about being a great fighter, but isn't. The weird thing is that the team behind casting would pick a person who, just last year, said (trigger warning), “I would make love to him, and there's nothing he could do about it,” about Kendrick Lamar.
Granted, Schulz is a comedian and was making a joke and was also responding to Kendrick's comments about him, and some of the things he (Kendrick Lamar) said could be looked at as hypocritical. Nevertheless, it was a strange decision.
Noah Centineo as Ken Masters
Admittedly, I only know Noah Centineo from Black Adam (he played Atom Smasher). You may think this isn’t a good representation of him as a performer, but he was one of the few bright and fun spots in that movie. It’s easy to see that he will add a different type of entertainment to Street Fighter. Hopefully, his interaction with Ryu won’t be awkward. Their friendship is a crucial part of their storyline.
50 Cent as Balrog
There are a lot of people who could have played Balrog, and 50 Cent wasn’t on the list of people I thought of, but this is an amazing pick. He has the size, believability, and acting skills to play him. It will be hilarious to see 50 talk trash and clown someone like Ryu or Ken because no one does it like Curtis Jackson.
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