Lewis Tan Fires Back at STREET FIGHTER Joke and Embraces the Rivalry Between MORTAL KOMBAT II and STREET FIGHTER
The rivalry between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter has been part of gaming culture for decades, and now that competition is spilling into Hollywood in a pretty entertaining way.
With Mortal Kombat II on the way and a new Street Fighter movie also gearing up for release, the stars involved are having some fun with the rivalry, including Lewis Tan, who plays Cole Young in the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Tan recently responded to a joke made during The Game Awards by comedian Andrew Schulz, who is set to play Dan Hibiki in the upcoming Street Fighter adaptation. The playful jab took aim at the Mortal Kombat sequel, and Tan didn’t hesitate to clap back. Still, he made it clear that the competitive energy is all in good fun.
While appearing on The Brandon Davis Show, Tan talked about the action fans can expect in the upcoming sequel and expressed serious confidence in what the team has delivered.
“When you watch the fights and you watch even the drama in the second one, it's so Mortal Kombat, it's so tuned in. Probably the best fight film of the year, I'd say. Well, there's one other contender.”
That “other contender,” of course, is the new Street Fighter movie, which prompted the conversation about the joke Schulz made on stage during The Game Awards in December 2025.
Schulz delivered the dig while presenting, jokingly calling out the Mortal Kombat sequel in front of the gaming audience:
“There's another game out there, they also flew around the world to be here because they appreciate you, so give it up for the whole cast of Mortal Kombat 2… I'm just kidding, they didn't come. They don't care about you, they only care about money. We care about money and you. Street Fighter forever!”
Tan definitely heard the joke, and he had a pretty blunt response.
“Andrew Schulz is the last person that should be talking shit on that stage. Obviously not a fighter, not even really an actor. We heard it.”
Even with the jab, Tan made it clear there’s a lot of mutual respect among the actors involved in both movies. Several martial artists appearing in Street Fighter are actually friends of his.
“I got a lot of friends on that cast. Rayna [Vallandingham], incredible martial artist, we did Cobra Kai together. She's in Street Fighter.
“Andrew Koji, who's very good friends with Joe Taslim and myself, also great martial artist.” Vallandingham and Koji will play Juli and Ryu.
So is there actually a rivalry between the two video game adaptations? Tan seems more than happy to lean into it.
“I mean, yeah. Let's go, bro… I love a good rivalry, so let's go. The trailer looked awesome… We'll see what's up. Numbers don't lie.”
That competitive spirit feels perfectly on brand for these two franchises. Fans have spent decades debating which fighting game reigns supreme, so seeing the cast of both films lean into that energy just makes the buildup even more fun.
Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8, while Street Fighter arrives later in the year on October 16. With two major video game fighting franchises heading to the big screen in 2026, it looks like audiences will get to decide the winner themselves. And if the movies are as action-packed as fans hope, everyone wins!