The upcoming Street Fighter movie is getting its own prequel graphic novel — and there’s a major WWE connection running through the project.
Legendary Comics, in partnership with Rocketship, announced Street Fighter: The Official Movie Graphic Novel, an anthology of original stories set before the events of Legendary and Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Street Fighter film, which hits theaters on October 16, 2026.
David Dastmalchian, who plays M. Bison in the movie, is among the writers contributing to the project. He’ll personally write the story exploring Bison’s origins and the experiences that shaped his obsession with power. According to Legendary Comics SVP and Publisher Robert Napton, the idea is to dig deeper into the movie’s versions of characters fans have known for decades.
“Street Fighter is a fantastic film adaptation of the game lore for new and old fans alike and we wanted to take a deeper look at the movie versions of the characters in a prequel graphic novel.”
The M. Bison chapter will trace the villain from his early life through the events that eventually turn him into the character audiences will meet in the film. The artist attached to Dastmalchian’s story has not yet been announced. WWE fans have an extra reason to pay attention to the graphic novel because two of the company’s biggest stars are directly involved in the Street Fighter movie.
Cody Rhodes plays Guile, while Roman Reigns portrays Akuma. Ringside News previously covered the Street Fighter cast reveal, which confirmed Rhodes and Reigns alongside Dastmalchian, Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Callina Liang as Chun-Li and Jason Momoa as Blanka.
The graphic novel has an especially direct connection to Rhodes’ character. One of the five prequel stories centers on Guile and Dhalsim, with Nick Marino writing and Roberta Ingranata handling the artwork. The story follows the two becoming unlikely allies at a martial arts event as they attempt to survive and expose Shadaloo activity. That means fans will get additional backstory involving the movie’s version of Guile before Rhodes brings the character to theaters.
Rhodes has already gone all-in on the role during WWE appearances. He showed up at WWE World dressed as Guile, complete with the character’s military-inspired gear and signature look as promotion for the film ramped up.
Rhodes has also explained how he landed the role of Guile, revealing that Reigns had already been announced as Akuma before he entered the picture. Rhodes initially assumed the production wouldn’t cast another WWE star after landing Reigns, only for him to eventually secure the Guile role himself.
Reigns has also spoken about how his years in WWE helped prepare him to become Akuma. The Tribal Chief said his WWE mindset helped him transform into the Street Fighter character, explaining that the skills he developed in wrestling translated to acting even though he had to adjust to an entirely different production environment. The rest of the graphic novel will also expand several characters from the movie.
Paul Salamoff and artist Christopher Jones will tell a Ken and Ryu story centered around their training under Gouken and the brotherly bond and rivalry between them. Amy Chu and Claudia Balboni will tackle Chun-Li’s rebellious teenage years, her relationship with her father and the training that eventually puts her on a collision course with Shadaloo.
Brian Buccellato and Mattia Monaco will handle Dan Hibiki’s origin story, while the Guile and Dhalsim chapter gives fans another look at Rhodes’ character before the movie begins.
The film itself takes place in 1993 and follows Ryu and Ken after Chun-Li pulls them into the World Warrior Tournament. What initially looks like a massive fighting competition eventually exposes a conspiracy that forces the fighters to confront both each other and their pasts.
Kitao Sakurai directs the film, and with Rhodes as Guile and Reigns as Akuma, Street Fighter has become one of WWE’s biggest Hollywood crossover projects in years. The new graphic novel only adds to that connection, especially now that fans will get more of the world surrounding Cody Rhodes’ Guile before he ever steps onto the big screen.
Street Fighter: The Official Movie Graphic Novel is currently being offered through Kickstarter with exclusive variant covers, a collector’s case and additional campaign-only items.
With David Dastmalchian personally shaping M. Bison’s past, a prequel story expanding the world around Cody Rhodes’ Guile, and Roman Reigns waiting in the wings as Akuma, Street Fighter is giving wrestling fans plenty to sink their teeth into before the movie arrives on October 16.
What do you think about Street Fighter expanding its movie universe before the film hits theaters, and are you more interested in seeing Cody Rhodes as Guile or Roman Reigns as Akuma? Let us know your thoughts and feedback.
