Callina Liang Joins the Fight as Chun-Li in Legendary’s Live-Action Street Fighter Movie

Let’s go! The live-action reboot of Street Fighter has just gotten a gigantic slice of the puzzle, and Capcom’s iconic franchise fandom has every reason to start spamming the hype emotes. According to a fresh report from Deadline, rising star Callina Liang has been officially cast as Chun-Li, the First Lady of Fighting Games, in Legendary Pictures’ upcoming adaptation.

And yes, this one’s actually in development. It’s no longer just a Ryu-shaped rumor floating through development hell. Fists are being thrown, the cast is getting bulked up, and this new Street Fighter film is booked for a March 20, 2026, release date. Get the quarters ready.

Chun-Li Is In: Liang Steps Into the Lightning Legs

Casting Chun-Li is no easy feat. She’s one of gaming lore’s most iconic characters. A legend, a feminist legend, a cosplayer’s wet dream, and just the hardest Interpol agent ever to hurricane kick a dictator onto a helicopter. Today, that duty falls to Tell Me Everything and Foundation vet Callina Liang. And if she continues the trend from her roles in Presence(Steven Soderbergh’s unsettling mind-bender) and Bad Genius, she’s got the chops.

Liang isn’t just bringing acting talent to the table. She’s bringing precision, power, and potential to those Yuen Woo-pinglevel fight sequences we’ve been starving for since the days of The Matrix and The Raid. And let’s be real: after decades of Chun-Li’s botched portrayal in everything from the Van Damme cult classic to The Legend of Chun-Li (we don’t talk about that one), it’s about time she got the respect she deserves.

The Roster: Koji, Centineo, Momoa, Reigns & Peck Unite

Chun-Li is not going to go it alone in this fight. Legendary’s roster is taking shape, much like the EVO finals, with Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo, Jason Momoa, Roman Reigns, and Orville Peck all already rumored to be on board.

Let’s break that down for the lore nerds:

Koji (Warrior, Snake Eyes) would be a foregone conclusion if he were to play Ryu or Fei Long’s part. Guy’s got the martial arts skillset and the screen presence.

Centineo (Black Adam)? Maybe Ken. Blond, egotistical, chiseled abs. Rational.

Momoa? Sagat or T. Hawk energy. Something big.

Roman Reigns? Zangief or E. Honda, depending on whether they’re going to have him grappling or slamming.

Orville Peck? We’ll see, but if they cast him as Vega, I’m screaming.

New Director, New Energy: Kitao Sakurai at the Helm

The film’s trajectory hadn’t been without its stun locks. First, Talk to Me breakout directors Danny and Michael Philippou were set to direct a horror crossover that had fans speculating wildly. But in early 2024, the brothers backed out of the project because of scheduling conflicts. That left Legendary in a temporary spiral kick mode of uncertainty.

Then came on board Kitao Sakurai, the twisted mastermind behind The Eric Andre Show, Bad Trip, and Twisted Metal. If one thing Sakurai can do is chaos, then Street Fighter is the ideal franchise to use it. This individual knows how to create the absurd, the over-the-top, and the bombastic. If there’s hope of bringing Street Fighter’s iconic arcade flair, high-speed aesthetic, and totally bananas storylines (M. Bison is a dead warlord specter fueled by psycho energy, right), Sakurai could very well be the man.

The Power of Capcom’s Support

Capcom is not just licensing this out and raking in a stack of yen. The publisher is actively developing the movie, which bodes well considering how carefully they’ve protected their IP recently. And with Street Fighter 6 tearing through the gaming world, crossing the threshold of 5 million units sold this month, it’s clear the brand is far from disappearing.

The studio’s insistence on the March 2026 release date means they’re already well down in pre-production, maybe scouting locations, stunt choreographers, and for goodness’ sake, actual martial artists instead of stunt-doubled celebrities: no more floaty cuts and off-screen spin kicks. We want raw, we want practical, we want Hadoukens that actually look painful.

What We Still Don’t Know (And What We Want)

We still don’t know:

• Who’s playing M. Bison? (Giancarlo Esposito, please.)
• Will we have Cammy, Guile, Dhalsim, or Blanka?
• Is it going full tournament saga or the Shadaloo infiltration route?
• Will they ever give Chun-Li a real arc and not just a revenge-based one for my dad?

And above all, will the movie respect the lore and the absurdity? Will it nod to the heart-stopping, quarter-gobbling energy of Street Fighter II while bringing the mythos up to date for today’s crowds?