Lionsgate has hired The Book of Clarence filmmaker Jeymes Samuel to direct the movie adaptation of Sega’s Streets of Rage classic video game.

Sonic The Hedgehog writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller will write the project, and build on an earlier draft of the screenplay by Derek Kolstad. The action game franchise began as a popular video game series in the 1990s and has sustained strong sales.

Samuel’s film credits include The Harder They Fall and The Book of Clarence. Casey and Miller have written or co-written films like Sega and Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog film trilogy and the Universal franchise Violent Night, starring David Harbour.

The duo are also writing the horror comedy feature Dead Drunk for Oscar-winning producer Graham King and his GK Films production banner. Casey and Miller are expected to lean heavily on the Streets of Rage video game to fill out the movie’s characters and storyline.

The producers on the game-to-movie adaptation are Toru Nakahara, Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg, Timothy I. Stevenson, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Tony Shaw and Kolstad. Casey and Miller are executive producing alongside Elena Sandoval for Story Kitchen.

Erin Westerman, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, in s statement said: “We and our partners at Sega knew that Streets of Rage demanded a bold filmmaker. Jeymes Samuel’s visceral and explosive style — not to mention his signature use of unforgettable music — is perfect for audiences both familiar with and new to the series. We are so excited for how he will bring his own memorable take to this beloved video game IP.”

Samuel is represented by CAA. Casey and Miller are represented by CAA and Gotham Group. Story Kitchen is represented by WME.

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