In the direction of the tip of 2025, IGN was invited to the Sydney set of the brand new Avenue Fighter movie, the place we had been in a position to spend a day wandering the units and assembly the forged and crew of this nose-breaking, nunchuk-slinging dose of hard-hitting ’90s nostalgia.
Chaperoned by Noah Centineo, who performs Ken Masters, we met with stars Callina Liang and David Dastmalchian, stunt coordinator Jon Valera, and director Kitao Sakurai as they finalised filming on their bone-busting blockbuster.
Right here’s every thing we discovered visiting the set of Avenue Fighter.
1: Callina Liang’s Grandma Has No Chill
Sure, Callina Liang noticed the issues that she wouldn’t be capable of deliver Chun-Li’s legendary legs to life on display. No, she doesn’t agree – and nor would her grandma, for that matter.
“I actually grew up enjoying the sport, in order quickly as my managers instructed me concerning the undertaking I used to be, like, so excited,” says Liang. “Chun-Li was additionally the character I performed, rising up.”
“I at all times had type of thicker legs; I do know the web is, like, ‘Oh, her legs are usually not large enough!’ However, I don’t know, for some cause rising up I used to be at all times made enjoyable of and my grandma would at all times be, like, ‘Oh hey, you bought little fats legs!’ And enjoying with Chun-Li was the rationale I ended feeling insecure about them, so it simply actually appears like a dream come true, getting this position.”
There you could have it, web. You may’t disagree with grandma as a result of, frankly, it’d be disrespectful.
2: Avenue Fighter’s Connection to Greek Mythology
Director Kitao Sakurai has a respect for Capcom’s forged of high-kicking characters as their very own pantheon of recent day mythological heroes.
“To me it form of feels a bit like Greek mythology, you recognize?” says Sakurai. “You could have these characters that you’ve got at all times identified, and have at all times been a part of the tradition. Even in case you by no means actually grew up enjoying the sport, and I wasn’t an enormous gamer rising up; we by no means had a gaming system or something like that. I’d at all times go over to my pal’s home to play. However it was simply infused into the tradition, and these characters are simply such an iconic a part of tradition on the earth, you can’t assist however to consider them by way of, ‘Oh, yeah, Ryu, and Ken, and Blanka.’ They’re so iconic and engraved into what we all know of that point.”
Sakurai is probably not the most important gamer on set, however he does know somewhat about beating up gods on display; that’s, previous to his directorial profession he did assault God with a hockey stick in 1999’s Dogma.
3: Everybody Is Taking It Critically
As a online game adaptation, Avenue Fighter might sit on the non-Shakespeare aspect of the storytelling spectrum, however Bison star David Dastmalchian is impressed with how severely the large forged is taking it – particularly contemplating the blended degree of performing expertise throughout the entire ensemble.
“I’ve been so impressed and grateful for the extent of dedication that you just see from 50 Cent exhibiting up day by day to go to the gymnasium to coach as a boxer, to Orville’s unimaginable work, to Callina, Rayna, and Mel and all of those performers that I’m round watching and seeing,” says Dastmalchian. “You understand, Cody and Roman, skilled athletes, who in fact learn about entertaining they usually perceive how one can work with storytelling, however their dedication! Each single individual. I’m positive I’m leaving lots of people off of that checklist, however I swear to God, each single one that’s proven up that I’ve gotten an opportunity to both watch work, or work with, has taken this severely the way in which I do and that made me really feel actually grateful.”
4: Sure, the Iconic Strikes Are in Right here
We’ve seen some very acquainted combating within the trailers already, however second unit director and stunt coordinator Jon Valera confirms the strikes you recognize and love are right here – and the actors themselves are those getting them performed.
“We try to keep true to the sport, try to deliver the precise iconic strikes to life,” says Valera. “We at all times need to please the followers and everyone on the market, and it’s been nice. We haven’t wanted any digi-doubles or something; all the fellows are doing the enduring strikes from the sport.”
It’s new territory for Ken star Noah Centineo, nevertheless it’s a problem he appears to have loved.
“Yeah, it’s utterly completely different; I’ve by no means performed a movie with martial arts, that’s for positive,” says Centineo. “I’ve by no means performed a movie with a lot motion. I’ve by no means performed so most of the stunts myself.”
“We had been right here coaching for six weeks earlier than we ever mentioned, ‘Motion!’ and dealing with Jon Velera, our stunt coordinator, underneath his steering, and his workforce’s steering. Yeah, it was an unimaginable course of. We’re capturing foremost unit but additionally second unit concurrently; second unit’s primarily loads of the stunts and stuff. With the ability to actually struggle and get into it. Or dance. It’s extra like dancing; it’s choreographed dancing that appears like combating; it’s superior.”
5: Ken’s Favorite Characters are Blanka and Dhalsim
Like Chun-Li star Callina Liang, Ken star Noah Centineo additionally maintains fond recollections of enjoying Avenue Fighter II in his early childhood. In contrast to Liang, nevertheless, his favorite characters aren’t truly the one he’s enjoying within the movie.
“My first interplay with Avenue Fighter, I will need to have been seven years outdated, or six years outdated, and my cousins that, on the time, lived in New Jersey – I went over to their home and of their basement that they had one of many cupboard, old style arcade video games of Avenue Fighter II. And I performed that recreation religiously each time I’d make it as much as New Jersey, which was, like, annually for lots of my early childhood. It was simply numerous hours spent enjoying that online game; enjoying Avenue FIghter II. I’d at all times play as Blanka, or Dhalsim. These had been my two favorite characters; I simply thought they had been sick.”
6: David Dastmalchian May Have the Hardest Job Right here
The unique 1994 Avenue Fighter adaptation – starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, and Ming-Na Wen, and coincidentally sufficient additionally filmed in Australia – was admittedly a robust industrial success. Nevertheless, whereas it’s not a famously esteemed film, there may be one factor of it held in monumental regard, and that’s Raul Julia’s impeccable efficiency as Bison. It was his closing movie look, with Julia passing away within the lead as much as its launch. New Bison star David Dastmalchian is acutely aware of the gravity added to the Bison position, with it being essentially the most revered part of the 1994 movie.
“So, with Bison, understanding how huge of an impression Raul’s efficiency had on me and hundreds of thousands of different individuals, I needed to hold a way of honour for that, and honour it by doing the very best job I can do,” he says. “And likewise let go and know that he would need me to deliver David into the position, which is what Kitao requested me to do, which is the very best factor I can ever do for one thing, and if I fail, I fail.”
“However I’ve acquired to deliver all of David that I can, and in addition I’m attempting my perfect to honour a recreation that has such a particular place in so many individuals’s hearts. So, once they watch, I pray that no matter I can deliver out of me once they’re watching it, they overlook about David. They perhaps even overlook about Raul for a minute, they usually simply see Bison. That’s my dream. I assume we’ll see.”
“My son is the most important gamer I do know. Each of my youngsters – my son and my daughter – are so enthusiastic about seeing me do that, they usually’re very, very sincere critics. In order that they’re gonna see this film and, as quickly as they stroll out, they’re gonna both flip to me and go, ‘Good job, Dad’ or they’re gonna go, ‘ Eh, sus.’ So I’m praying for [the former].”
7: If Followers of the Recreation Like It, That’s a Victory
So what is going to characterize a win for Centineo?
“I hope that folks see it, and the those that have grown up enjoying the sport, and nonetheless play the sport and love the sport and dwell by the sport, watch the film and go, ‘Yeah, they did the sport justice,’ says Centineo. “I believe that’s the most important factor for me; people who have performed the sport, and grew up enjoying the sport and know the sport nicely, watch the film and go, ‘Yeah, they revered the sport; they revered our world, and we respect that.”
“And I hope that folks that aren’t too acquainted with the sport watch the film and stroll away going, ‘Yeah, that an excellent film and it was a cool world, and I wanna see extra of that.’”
Avenue Fighter is in cinemas this week. IGN’s review of the film says there’s an “infectious and celebratory vitality coursing via Kitao Sakurai’s Avenue Fighter at each flip,” even when it “by no means lets good sense get in the way in which of a very good time.”
Luke Reilly is an award-winning journalist with 23 years of media expertise throughout Official PlayStation Journal, Australian 360, and IGN – which he joined in 2011. You could find him on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him issues about stuff.