According to a comment from a cast member, all actors involved in the 2026 Street Fighter movie signed on for three films — something that helps its cliffhanger ending make a lot more sense now.
Olivier Richters, the 7-foot-2 actor who played Zangief, revealed the news in a YouTube comment on October 25. This comment was in response to a fan video complaining that viewers didn’t get to see very much of the Red Cyclone in the film.
While this fact is objectively true, Richters explained that his brief appearance in the movie was intentional, saying this was done to make viewers extra eager for a sequel to see more of him and his invincible iron body in another installment.
“When they asked me to play Zangief, it was all very clear. There was one goal: Show a [glimpse] of Zangief and his power, so we all want more," he wrote. "All actors, including me, signed for three movies. ‘If a sequel is made, Zangief will shine,’ was the promise. Apart from that, you can't expect, from a two-hour movie with so many characters, for everyone to shine in the first part. But anyways, thanks for wanting to see more of Zangief!”
In the Street Fighter movie, Zangief appears in two sequences — one where he receives an invitation to join the second World Warrior tournament courtesy of Chun-Li, and another where he brawls with Ken and company in a club fight.
Almost all of his moves in this second scene are taken directly from the games, and his finisher was performed practically. It was a delightful treat for players to see, and the overwhelming sentiment from fans was that they’d hoped to see more from him… and from the actual World Warrior Tournament, in general.
However, given the movie’s post-credits scene and its abrupt ending, it’s clear that Legendary’s Street Fighter movie was intended as the first in a series of films, and it set things up for a direct sequel. While we won’t spoil that here, you can check out our ending explained article for more details.
The cast has been open about wanting to film more Street Fighter movies, in large part due to how fun the first was to make — but given this latest revelation, it seems that not being able to do so would put a major damper on the studio’s plan for a trilogy.
Street Fighter’s battle at the box office has been modest; with a reported budget of around $80 million, it topped the domestic box office on its opening weekend with $51 million. As of October 26, it has grossed $79 million worldwide, meaning that it’s just shy of making back its budget.
With more time left in theaters and a streaming run in the future, it's looking likely that this movie will end up being a profit for Legendary — if a moderate one. We’ll just have to see if a sequel does, indeed, get greenlit, and if plans remain in place for a trilogy.
In the meantime, you can check out our interview with the Street Fighter cast, who told us that they are more than enthusiastic about a possible crossover flick with the Mortal Kombat crew.