EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of its success with Paramount’s the hedgehog Sonic movies, SEGA has another franchise on the way to the big screen with beat ’em up games Rages streets get the movie processing, It tells sources to Deadline. Derek Kolstad, who created John Wick action franchise and wrote the Bob Odenkirk action Nonewrote the manuscript on spec.
Rages streets, developed and published by SEGA, first launched in 1991 via the Genesis home video game console. The side-scroller follows previous police offers fighting a crime syndicate. Since the debut game is Rages streets The franchise has spawned sequels across several gaming platforms, including the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The franchise’s latest title, Streets of Rage 4, was released in April 2020 and has sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide. Sonic producer dj2 Entertainment and Escape Artists (Equalizer franchise) will produce the film adaptation.
Rages streets will be the latest project under the dj2 Entertainment belt, the following Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s impressive box office performance. dj2 signed an overall deal with Amazon earlier this year and is also looking to customize The Game Awards winner It takes two for TV and movies.
Also in the works from Kolstad is the thriller of theft Just see me, starring Gerard Butler. In addition to writing Nonehe recently served as co-executive producer at Disney +’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The fourth film in his John Wick franchise is scheduled for release on March 24, 2023 following a delay imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kolstad is the latest John Wick creatively take on a video game adaptation. There will also be an adaptation of The ghost of Tsushima from Sony and PlayStation Productions. Chad Stahelski directs after a script by Takashi Doscher.
Matt Grobar contributed to this report.