New development on the Streets of Rage movie has emerged: Variety reports that filmmakers Pat Casey and Josh Miller — known for writing the Sonic the Hedgehog films — have been brought on to pen the screenplay, and director Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall, The Book of Clarence) will lead the project.
The news confirms the adaptation remains active after earlier announcements tying Lionsgate, Sega, dj2 Entertainment (now Story Kitchen) and Escape Artists to the production.
Background and context
Streets of Rage is a long-running beat 'em up franchise created by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis in the early 1990s.
The series most recently returned to modern platforms with Streets of Rage 4, developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games and released in 2020 across PC, consoles and Nintendo Switch, where it is available via the eShop.
Lionsgate first publicly joined the adaptation effort in 2022, with Deadline reporting that the studio had acquired the film rights and that Derek Kolstad — the screenwriter of John Wick — was attached to write and produce.
What changed: writers and director
According to Variety, Casey and Miller will now write the script, taking over from Kolstad, who has stepped away from the writing role.
Jeymes Samuel has been tapped to direct; Samuel’s 2021 Netflix Western The Harder They Fall received critical notice for its bold visuals and a soundtrack that mixes period style with contemporary energy, qualities cited by sources as relevant to adapting a music-forward video game franchise.
Rewritten, journalistic summaries of notable statements
- Lionsgate’s Erin Westerman said that the studio and its partners at Sega sought a bold filmmaker for Streets of Rage and that Samuel’s intense, music-forward cinematic style made him well-suited to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers.
- On the project’s earlier phase, Derek Kolstad expressed that he was immediately enthusiastic about the idea when first approached and that working with Sega was a personal thrill for a longtime fan; Kolstad remains attached in a production capacity according to prior reports, though he is no longer the film’s writer.
What we know and what remains unknown
Confirmed facts include the new creative team (Casey, Miller, Samuel), Lionsgate’s involvement, and Sega’s ongoing participation.
Story details, production timeline and release date have not been disclosed.
As with other game-to-film adaptations, fans can expect debates about fidelity to source material and how the film translates Streets of Rage’s iconic electronic soundtrack and beat ’em up action to the big screen.
We will monitor Variety, Deadline, Lionsgate and Sega for official production updates, casting announcements and a potential release window for the Streets of Rage film.
The news confirms the adaptation remains active after earlier announcements tying Lionsgate, Sega, dj2 Entertainment (now Story Kitchen) and Escape Artists to the production.
Background and context
Streets of Rage is a long-running beat 'em up franchise created by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis in the early 1990s.
The series most recently returned to modern platforms with Streets of Rage 4, developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games and released in 2020 across PC, consoles and Nintendo Switch, where it is available via the eShop.
Lionsgate first publicly joined the adaptation effort in 2022, with Deadline reporting that the studio had acquired the film rights and that Derek Kolstad — the screenwriter of John Wick — was attached to write and produce.
What changed: writers and director
According to Variety, Casey and Miller will now write the script, taking over from Kolstad, who has stepped away from the writing role.
Jeymes Samuel has been tapped to direct; Samuel’s 2021 Netflix Western The Harder They Fall received critical notice for its bold visuals and a soundtrack that mixes period style with contemporary energy, qualities cited by sources as relevant to adapting a music-forward video game franchise.
Rewritten, journalistic summaries of notable statements
- Lionsgate’s Erin Westerman said that the studio and its partners at Sega sought a bold filmmaker for Streets of Rage and that Samuel’s intense, music-forward cinematic style made him well-suited to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers.
- On the project’s earlier phase, Derek Kolstad expressed that he was immediately enthusiastic about the idea when first approached and that working with Sega was a personal thrill for a longtime fan; Kolstad remains attached in a production capacity according to prior reports, though he is no longer the film’s writer.
What we know and what remains unknown
Confirmed facts include the new creative team (Casey, Miller, Samuel), Lionsgate’s involvement, and Sega’s ongoing participation.
Story details, production timeline and release date have not been disclosed.
As with other game-to-film adaptations, fans can expect debates about fidelity to source material and how the film translates Streets of Rage’s iconic electronic soundtrack and beat ’em up action to the big screen.
We will monitor Variety, Deadline, Lionsgate and Sega for official production updates, casting announcements and a potential release window for the Streets of Rage film.
