Fil-Am stunt coordinator Jon Valera brings ‘Street Fighter’ moves to life

HOLLYWOOD — Filipino-American stunt coordinator and second unit director Jon Valera designed and directed the action sequences for the upcoming “Street Fighter” film, bringing the iconic fighting moves from the popular video game franchise to the big screen.

Valera said he wanted to stay faithful to the source material, which first debuted as a video game in the 1980s, while recreating its signature moves through live-action stunts rather than computer-generated imagery.

“Bringing the actual moves from the video game to life, I wanted to make sure that I pleased the fans and the people,” Valera said. “The blueprint’s already there, so you have to make sure you make everybody, the people, the fans happy. The iconic moves are all there. And we did it not with CGI. We did it in real life.”

Actor Noah Centineo, who plays Ken Masters, said the film required him to take on martial arts and fight choreography at a level he had not experienced before.

“I’ve never done martial arts to this capacity before,” Centineo said. “The stunts in this was the fight choreography, learning the martial arts, how to fake the martial arts, was new to me.”

British-Japanese actor Andrew Koji plays Ryu, one of the franchise’s central characters. Koji, who has practiced martial arts throughout his life, said he relates to the character’s commitment to his personal journey rather than the pursuit of fame or accolades.

For Koji, martial arts offers benefits beyond competitive fighting, including mental discipline.

Meanwhile, Callina Liang plays Chun-Li, the franchise’s iconic female fighter. She said the film explores the character’s backstory and gives her a more rounded portrayal.

“She’s working through a lot of grief and trauma and anguish,” Liang said. “We talked a lot and we built this fully well-rounded version of her. We humanized her, and yeah, it was a lot of fun to play.”

The film also features Jason Momoa, 50 Cent and other cast members. — Reports from Yong Chavez, ABS-CBN News in Hollywood