Following the success of its collaboration with Paramount Pictures on this month’s hit Sonic the Hedgehog film sequel, SEGA is now working on adapting another classic video game franchise into a movie – Streets of Rage. The film adaptation of the popular beat ’em up game was penned by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, who wrote the script on spec without a studio deal, Deadline is reporting.
Streets of Rage, which was developed and published by SEGA, first launched in 1991 via the Genesis home video game console. The side-scrolling game follows former police officers who battle a crime syndicate. Since the first game debuted, the franchise has spawned sequels across numerous gaming platforms, including the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
The video game franchise’s latest entry, Streets of Rage 4, was first released in April 2020. It has since sold more than two-and-a-half million copies worldwide.
Sonic the Hedgehog‘s production company, dj2 Entertainment, and Escape Artists, the studio behind the Equalizer franchise, will produce Streets of Rage‘s film adaptation. The movie will be the latest project from dj2 Entertainment since the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The latter film adaptation has grossed $119.6 million at the United States and Canada box office since it was released on April 8.
Besides garnering success with the theatrical release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, dj2 also made headlines when it signed an overall deal with Amazon earlier this year. It’s now also looking to adapt the BAFTA Game Awards winner, It Takes Two, into a television series and movie.
Besides creating the John Wick franchise, Kolstad is also known for penning last year’s hit action film Nobody, which starred Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk. Kolstad also recently served as a co-executive producer on Disney+’s miniseries, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Besides Streets of Rage, Kolstad is also working on the heist thriller Just Watch Me. The movie is based on Dexter scribe Jeff Lindsay’s hit novels and stars Gerard Butler. The fourth entry in the filmmaker’s John Wick franchise is set to be released on March 24, 2023, following a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.