Street Fighter movie enlists 50 Cent, giving shades of the classic JCVD Street Fighter

Capcom and Legendary Pictures’ live-action Street Fighter movie is shaping up its cast with the addition of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog the Boxer, who serves under villain M. Bison.

Nexus Point News first reported the addition of Jackson to the Street Fighter cast, which appears to have been corroborated by 50 on his Instagram.

News of the multi-hyphenate musician comes shortly after another recent Street Fighter addition: Deadline reported earlier this week that Callina Liang (of Steven Soderbergh’s Presence) will star as Chun-Li, an Interpol officer and enemy of Bison and his Shadaloo organization. Both names join a cast that includes the previously revealed Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo, Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, and Orville Peck.

The names attached thus far don’t inspire confidence, as a longtime Street Fighter fan, that this film will be much more than fresh meme-fodder like the original live-action film from the ’90s. 50 Cent as Balrog feels like stunt casting, not unlike Kylie Minogue as Cammy. Just like casting Jean Claude Van Damme as Guile in the original, it’s another big name to bolster the call sheet. Coupled with other names like A Minecraft Movie star Jason Momoa and WWE’s Roman Reigns, the casting feels reads a hodgepodge of big names with big bodies, with a handful of actors with actual acting chops.

But maybe Street Fighter will enlist an unexpected and respected actor of the caliber of a Raul Julia to bolster the cast, like he did as Bison in the original live-action movie. The upcoming Kitao Sakurai-directed film, even with the help of Capcom, desperately needs someone captivating to ground this movie so folks outside the gaming crowd can take it seriously.

Here’s hoping that the new Street Fighter won’t end up just like its 1994 counterpart, with 50 Cent, Momoa, and Reigns around a bunch of other folk doing victory poses as the credits roll.

Capcom and Legendary’s live-action Street Fighter movie does not have a release date. It was previously scheduled for March 2026, but has been delayed indefinitely.