You would think that if Legend Films was looking to improve the general opinion of their big-screen reboot of Street Fighter, they would have picked some more exciting photos to tease us with. Legend is now hosting a new gallery of behind-the-scenes photos for the video game flick, and, well, they're a little underwhelming. The shots are mostly comprised of the sets and a few extras, but there are a couple of recognizable faces (including Robin Shou and Kristen Kreuk) in the bunch. However, on the upside, we do get a glimpse of action to tide us over.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li centers on everyone's favorite "Hyakuretsu Kyaku" expert and Interpol Agent (as played by Kreuk). When her mentor and Tai Chi Master (played by Shou) is murdered by criminals, she goes on a quest for revenge. Justin Marks' script takes the character in a more realistic direction and even throws in some gangsters to go along with SF's usual baddies; Bison (Neal McDonough), Vega (Black Eyed Peas singer Taboo), and Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan).

So even though I have yet to see anything that makes me think the film could work, I'll have to reserve judgment until I see something a little more final than a few on-set photos and the occasional blog entry. After all, isn't that what trailers are for?

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is scheduled for release February 27, 2009.

[Thanks: Coming Soon]

Hmm. Is the above Smallville's Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li, or is it just Kristin Kreuk dirty after playing in the dirt? Maybe her wrists still hold some impressive jewelry, but from what that picture shows (courtesy of /film), none of that looks like the Street Fighter character. Sure, wardrobes in these sorts of movies rarely look just like their animated predecessors, but something. Anything? Zack Snyder changed things up for Watchmen, but they still look damned cool and pretty recognizable. If you can't recognize your lead character, what's the point?

Here's hoping there's a costume change coming that we haven't seen yet, or at least some hair buns. This project is, of course, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, not just any Street Fighter movie. Perhaps this is Chun-Li before someone gives her the famous outfit so she can hunt down her mentor's murderers.

Finally! I know there's a ton of you waiting patiently for release dates on Street Fighter and Alvin and the Chipmunks II -- and after spending all night making phone calls, while watching the wire, Cinematical can confirm that the new live-action Street Fighter flick will debut on February 27, 2009. But that's not all! (I know, it was a busy night at headquarters; the boss had us all working double shifts.) 20th Century Fox has also scheduled Alvin and the Chipmunks II for release on March 19, 2010. There's no script yet, and Jason Lee is not signed on to star, but the first one took in a ridiculous $358.4 million worldwide -- so, I mean, they could have these little guys talking Yiddish for a couple hours in part two and the thing would still make over $100 million.

Other announcements in Release Date Land include Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa going day-and-date on November 7, and Universal has taken Wild Child off its calendar. That film, starring Emma Roberts as a rebellious Malibu teenager who gets shipped off to a British boarding school and learns that afternoon tea is the answer to all of life's problems, was originally scheduled for August 22. No word on why it was yanked, but I'm sure you folks could come up with several positive reasons. To make up for the removal, however, Universal has moved Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race up from September 26 to August 22. Good thing, too, because I like my death races at the end of summer and not at the beginning of fall.

[via Variety and Box Office Mojo]

Surfing around yesterday, I kept seeing the words "New Street Fighter production blog!!" all over the place. So, this morning, I woke up, took a shower, scheduled a dentist appointment and made my way over to this new production blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. Now this guy Aaron Horwitz is providing the updates, and three sentences into his little b-ball shtick I wanted to slap him upside the head. Why does he have to write as if he's speaking to a group of 12-year-old males with plastic Nunchucks in their hands? Seriously dude. Lay off the cool, MTV-style hip hop flava-talk for a second and tell us about the film.

Anyway, in case you're interested in what this production blog will bring you, I'll let your new pal Aaron tell ya: "Basically, about once a week I'll be flyin' at ya with exclusive scoops, stories, cast & crew interviews, artwork, set photos, and a ton of other Street Fighter kickbacks that you'll find nowhere else on the planet. Maybe even some sweet video footage." Aaron then gives a quick rundown of the "uber-cool" cast, and a mini re-cap of week one before goin' "all American Idol on our asses" and teasing a never-before-announced cast member in the role of GEN. Oh no he didn't! Yes, he did. There's also a little wicked storyboardin' action at the end there. Boo-ya!

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li is due out in 2009.

The bunny is almost here, giving me a reason to overindulge in hardboiled eggs, but right now, it's still the work week, and here are some casting nibblets from Variety:

• Chinese singer and actress Josie Ho has nabbed herself her Hollywood debut in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Unfortunately, although production has begun in Thailand, there is no word on who she's playing. (She also discusses her casting on her blog, but doesn't mention her role.) You might have caught the actress in Johnny To's Exiled back in 2006, or more recently, as Sina in last year's drama, The Drummer. She's also one of the top 20 Most Intriguing Heiresses, being the daughter of Stanley Ho and all.
• Emily Rios wowed audiences with Quiñceanera back in 2006 (Kim had reviewed it from Sundance). After a handful of roles since, she's picked up a gig in the upcoming Helen Mirren-starring prostitution story, Love Ranch. She will, of course, play a young call girl in the film. Other than casting announcements, not much is coming from set. However, in a discussion over at IMDb, they've linked to Bai Ling's blog, where she posts self portraits of her character.
  
• Lastly, we've got a little testosterone to throw into the mix. Norman Reedus, who recently played detective Norman Reilly in American Gangster, is about to get musical. He's joined the cast of the Adrien Brody-starring Cadillac Records. Will he be a music great, or just some passerby? Hopefully we'll see who is filling the roles of the other classic musicians soon.

A few months ago, Kristin Kreuk was said to be Chun-Li in the upcoming Street Fighter film. Variety has now confirmed it and listed off some of the rest of the cast, and you might be just a little surprised. Aside from the Smallville star, there's Michael Clark Duncan, Chris Klein, and Rick Yune. Yes, I'm talking about the Klein from Election and American Pie. Surprised? Filling out the rest of the cast is Moon Bloodgood, Taboo from Black Eyed Peas, Edmund Chen, and Cheng Pei Pei.

While Kreuk plays Chun-Li, Duncan will take on the role of Balrog, Yune, is the mystical Gen, and Klein will be Nash. As it breaks down in the game... Balrog* is M. Bison in Japan, and Vega outside. Since we're talking Duncan, that means M. Bison/Balrog -- a dude who holds a lot of similarities to a certain ear-biter. (This re-naming is ridiculous...) Gen, meanwhile, is an old, master assassin and friend of Chun-Li's father, who blames himself for the violent path the girl followed. And lastly, Klein's Nash -- also known as Charlie. This guy is a first lieutenant in the US Air Force who died in earlier games, but shows up in later ones, and is a friend of Guile.

I guess if Ryan Reynolds can take on Blade, anything is possible. But every time I try to think of Klein in this role, I hear him in his do-gooder voice saying: "Dear God, thank you for all your blessings. You've given me so many things, like good health, nice parents, a nice truck, and what I'm told is a large penis, and I'm very grateful, but I sure am worried about Tammy." And we can't forget -- Klein headed Rollerball.

*Post Edited: Variety says Bison, the villain, is still being cast, presumably that's this Bison/Vega. Stay tuned for more name confusion!

Well if nothing else, at least the legendary Chun Li is not going to be played by Jessica Biel. ComingSoon.net is reporting that Smallville's Kristin Kreuk has signed to star in the new Street Fighter film. There has been no official word on which role she is going to play, but the smart money is on her taking over where Ming-Na Wen left off in the 1994 incarnation of Capcom's classic game. News of the film first surfaced back in October, 2006 and back in July there had been an early review of Justin Marks' script. Early word had the plot centering on Li as she searches for those responsible for her father's murder all while taking down the Shadoloo organization. There has been very little mention of any of the other Street Fighter characters making an appearance, so I would expect that not much has changed in Marks original ideas of the film's direction. The flick is expected to start production this spring and will film on location in Thailand in March 2008.

This is Kreuk's third feature film, having already starred in Partition with Neve Campbell and a slightly less dignified role in the teen comedy, Eurotrip. Andrzej Bartkowiak has already signed to direct. For those of you out there worried that Street Fighter will degenerate into another cheese-fest, I can't say I blame you. Of course the worse news is that Bartkowiak's resume highlights include Cradle 2 the Grave and Romeo Must Die, so I can't be the only one thinking that this film might be destined for direct to DVD obscurity.

Yesterday, I was looking forward to the next film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski. Today, I'm anxiously awaiting the biopic about him. According to The Hollywood Reporter, low-budget actor-director Damian Chapa (El Padrino) is preparing an unauthorized film about the guy who gave us Chinatown, The Pianist, Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. Yes, we finally get to see dramatized the tragic and/or controversial events of Polanski's life, including his escape from the Kraków Ghetto during the Holocaust, his mother's death in a concentration camp, the murder of his wife, actress Sharon Tate, at the hands of Charles Manson's "family", and of course, his conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, after which he fled the U.S. The biopic is expected to span the filmmaker's life, and will film in Poland, Belgium, and the U.S. However, it seems the simply titled Polanski, which begins lensing in January, may focus primarily on the statutory rape trial.

The title role has not yet been cast, but Chapa himself will be playing Gene Gutowski, who produced Polanski's early films, including Repulsion, Cul-de-sac and Dance of the Vampires, and co-produced The Pianist. Those of you who haven't seen Chapa's own movies, may be familiar with his acting from such films as Street Fighter, Money Talks or Bound by Honor. In addition to his directing and co-starring tasks, Chapa is also the writer and producer of the simply titled Polanski, meaning it probably won't be the greatest biopic we ever see. But hey, I'm curious at least. Aren't you?

Jean-Claude Van Damme's blue beret-wearing ways did not appeal to the masses, but this doesn't mean that Capcom won't try again. Over the past year, a new foray into the video game world of Street Fighter has been in the works. The last news came in July, when a script review was out. This time around, the focus will be on tough girl fighter Chun Li and her quest for justice -- she seeks revenge for the murder of her father. Now screenwriter Justin Marks is doing "a polish," and Variety is reporting that the production has tapped its director -- Andrzej Bartkowiak.

The director has some martial arts under his belt with Romeo Must Die, as well as some experience with video game adaptations -- he's the name behind Doom. Bartkowiak is also an experienced cinematographer -- having a hand in everything from Terms of Endearment and Twins to Dante's Peak and Lethal Weapon 4. So he's got the experience, but considering the fact that Doom actually grossed less than the first Street Fighter, which was about a decade earlier, what's the point? Usually when franchises or flicks are freshened, there's some sort of hope behind it. Christopher Nolan made many giddy with excitement when he took over Batman, and he delivered. What on earth can we expect, or hope for, with this project?

If you're at all familiar with the original 1994 Street Fighter film, then you might consider it a guilty pleasure or as the tragic final credit of the distinguished actor Raul Julia. Either way it's safe to say it was no masterpiece. Back in October, Variety had reported that Hyde Park Entertainment was putting together a remake with Justin Marks (Voltron) on board to pen the script. Now, Latino Review has a script review for the 114 page treatment. This time around, Marks has decided to put the focus of the story on Chun -Li. The plot follows Li in her search for revenge for the murder of her father. Other characters mentioned in the review were head baddie Bison, Balrog, and Vega -- but none of the other Street Fighter characters were included, so it seems that it's going to be a one-woman show.

There hasn't been much to say about the production since some strange casting rumors had surfaced that Jessica Biel was being considered for the lead. But despite her similarities when it comes to thigh muscularity, she is a bizarre choice for the part. Plus, I doubt there is a shortage of Asian actresses who could tackle the part. If Latino Review's source can be trusted, the film promises to be a vast improvement over the Jean-Claude Van Damme cheese-fest, with plenty of hard-core Hong Kong style action. Now, if Hyde Park and Capcom can only figure out their casting problems, they might be on to something.