Derek Kolstad Likens His STREETS OF RAGE Movie To THE RAID, But Says it's “Actively Inactive”
The road to bringing Streets of Rage to the big screen just hit another frustrating checkpoint. Fans who’ve been hoping to see Sega’s iconic beat ’em up explode into live-action are going to have to keep waiting, because according to writer Derek Kolstad, the project has stalled in a way that feels all too familiar in Hollywood.
Kolstad recently opened up about where things stand with the adaptation, and the update isn’t exactly encouraging. Even though the project still exists under Lionsgate, it’s not moving forward right now.
In his words, it’s “actively inactive,” which pretty much sums up that strange limbo where a project isn’t dead, but it definitely isn’t alive either.
Kolstad clearly loves what he built, though. He poured serious time into the script and still stands by it. As he explained, “I spent a lot of time on it… it’s such a cool script,” while also admitting he hasn’t heard anything new in a while.
That silence isn’t a great sign, especially in an industry where momentum is everything.
As for the concept, it sounds like exactly what fans would want from a Streets of Rage movie. Kolstad described his take as, “I always talk about it’s 16 Blocks by way of The Raid. So, once you hit page 17, there’s no letting up until page 101.
“I haven’t heard anything about it for a while, but I love it,” Kolstad said. That kind of nonstop, bone-crunching action feels like a perfect match for the franchise’s DNA.
The film first started gaining traction back in 2022 when Lionsgate picked it up, with producers connected to Sonic the Hedgehog helping push it forward.
Interestingly, Kolstad wrote the script independently before any studio officially came on board, which makes the current stall even more frustrating. The passion was there, the pitch landed, but the follow-through hasn’t materialized.
For anyone who grew up smashing through waves of enemies in Sega’s classic series, this adaptation had a lot of potential.
The games drop players into a crime-ridden city controlled by the ruthless Mr. X, with characters like Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding fighting to clean things up one punch at a time. It’s simple, stylish, and built for high-energy action storytelling.
The franchise even got a strong resurgence with Streets of Rage 4, reminding everyone why it still has a loyal fanbase. That renewed interest made the idea of a movie feel like perfect timing.
Right now though, Streets of Rage is stuck in that frustrating gray area where nothing is happening, but it hasn’t been shut down either. Kolstad still believes in the script, and honestly, it sounds like something worth making.
Let’s just hope this one finds its way out of “actively inactive” sooner rather than later. I would love to see this movie get made!
