Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has boarded the upcoming Street Fighter movie reboot, joining a stacked cast that already includes Jason Momoa as Blanka, Andrew Koji (Warrior) as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, and masked country singer Orville Peck as Vega.

Jackson will play Balrog, a disgraced boxer who is also the bodyguard of the villain. Sources say he is deep into training for the part and will be doing his own stunts for the picture.

Balrog, for those who skipped Street Fighter lore classes, is basically modelled after 1980s Mike Tyson. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior back in 1991, he’s a brutal Vegas-born prizefighter banned from pro boxing.

Kitao Sakurai is directing the feature which begins production in August in Australia. It will mark the third attempt at a big screen adaptation following the 1994 film with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia, to the Chun-Li centered second film starring Kristin Kreuk.

Street Fighter began as an arcade game in 1987 and reached a pop culture high with 1991's Street Fighter II, which revolutionized one-on-one playing. Street Fighter 6, the latest game in the franchise, was released in June 2023 and won the award for best fighting game at the 2023 Game Awards.

Source: Press Release