John Wick creator will adapt Streets of Rage as a film

By Blair Marnell April 18, 2022

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is already one of the most successful films of2022, which may be why Paramount and Sega are poised to team up again for another video game adaptation. According to Deadline, John Wick creator Derek Kolstad is adapting Streets of Rage for the big screen. Kolstad’s previous credits include Nobody, an action film starring Bob Odenkirk that was released last year. He was also a co-executive producer for Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

The first Streets of Rage was released on Sega’s Genesis system in 1991. It was a side-scrolling action game that allowed players to choose between three characters: Blaze Fielding, Axel Stone, and Adam Hunter. The trio were police officers whose efforts to take down Mr. X and his criminal syndicate were stymied by deep corruption within the department. In response, Blaze, Axel, and Adam resigned from the police force and became vigilantes in order to save their city. Two sequels were released in 1992 and 1993, both of which earned a cult following. The most recent game in the franchise, Streets of Rage 4, was released in 2020.

The box art for Streets of Rage 4. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sonic the Hedgehog production company DJ2 Entertainment will produce Streets of Rage in partnership with Escape Artists, the company behind The Equalizer. As noted by Deadline, DJ2 Entertainment is also developing the video game It Takes Two as an original series for Amazon Prime Video.

By coincidence, Kolstad isn’t the only John Wick veteran who has lined up a video game adaptation. Chad Stahelski, the director of all four John Wick movies, recently signed on to helm Sony’s PlayStation hit Ghost of Tsushima, which will be produced by Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions.

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Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…

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