David Dastmalchian took a surprisingly deep approach to playing one of the most iconic and deadly villains in the Street Fighter franchise. The actor plays M. Bison in the upcoming live-action adaptation, and his research process went beyond the source material.

In a recent interview with Empire, Dastmalchian explained his preparation process and his fascination with villains who command legions of fanatical followers. “I’m curious about films where there are these villainous leaders that have endless armies of foot soldiers willing to throw themselves into certain death to defend them,” he said. “How do you become the person that all of these people are going to follow into the fire?”

His research eventually took him into some much darker territory. The 51-year-old revealed that he and the team studied cult leaders and historical figures to bring authentic menace to his role. “We started studying cult leadership and historical figures that were able to use terror and intimidation, but also cunning, charm, and seduction, to make these major movements happen,” he said.

His historical research included controversial figures such as Idi Amin, Jim Jones, and Benito Mussolini. Dastmalchian emphasized that he wanted to frame M. Bison as “something much deeper” than just “a video-game bad guy” or a standard final boss.

Who else stars in the Street Fighter movie with David Dastmalchian?

The ensemble cast for the upcoming Street Fighter adaptation features Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, and Jason Momoa as Blanka.

The cast also includes Joe Anoa’i as Akuma, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, Orville Peck as Vega, and Eric André as Don Sauvage, among others.

Kitao Sakurai directs the film, which he co-wrote with T. J. Fixman. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Takayuki Nakayama, Stefan Makhoul, and Jason Momoa.

The upcoming project marks the third live-action feature adaptation in the Street Fighter franchise, following the 1994 cult classic starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and 2009’s Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

Street Fighter is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on October 16, 2026, distributed by Paramount Pictures.