At the 2025 Game Awards, actor, comedian, and podcast host Andrew Schulz infamously called out the cast of the second Mortal Kombat movie while promoting the Street Fighter film, in which he stars as Dan Hibiki.
“We’re not the only game that appreciates your patronage,” Schulz said. “There’s another game out there. They also flew from around the world to be here because they appreciate you. So give it up for the whole cast of Mortal Kombat 2!”
It turns out that the cast hadn’t actually shown up for the Game Awards, which Schulz capitalized on for his bit on stage. “Just kidding,” he continued. “They didn’t come. They don’t care about you, they only care about money, okay? We care about money and you! Street Fighter forever!”
The cast of the Street Fighter Movie just threw BIG shots at the Mortal Kombat Movie Kast at #TheGameAwards! Oh it’s on! 😤 https://t.co/IbclswNMnq
— David | unCAGEDgamez (@unCAGEDgamez) December 12, 2025
Although his fellow cast members clarified that he was merely joking, Schulz’s callout went viral, with many fans feeling like this was an unfriendly jab at a fellow fighting game adaptation. Even actor Lewis Tan, who starred in the films, spoke about the ordeal, saying Schulz was the “last person that should be talking shit on that stage.”
I got the chance to ask Schulz about this joke ahead of the Street Fighter movie’s release — and Schulz told me that he was merely trying to stoke the flames of a good-natured rivalry with the Mortal Kombat II cast in classic pro wrestling fashion.
“Guys, I thought we were in this together! In the wrestling business, this is called a ‘work,’ right?” Schulz began.
“Yep. You were workin’, they were shootin’,” Cody Rhodes confirmed.
“I read what was on the prompter,” Schulz continued. “…I thought that we were gonna turn into Barbenheimer. You know, rising tides lift all boats.”
“But you dissed them,” Eric Andre interjected.
“I got them a lot buzz,” Schulz countered.
“Here’s a follow-up,” Rhodes said, looking at me. “Do you have a Mortal Kombat tattoo?”
(I feel the need to explain; you might’ve seen the viral clip of this trio asking me to show them my M. Bison tattoo during this same interview. If not, you can watch it down below.)
“I do not,” I answered.
“Exactly,” Schulz said, to which Cody responded that he wasn’t “trying to fire another shot.”
“I was waiting for a thank you!” Schulz joked when I asked for his thoughts on the debate that his remarks had stirred up online. “You know, we used our platform to promote our movie to promote another movie! I feel like that’s a very generous thing to do!”
Since we were on the topic of Mortal Kombat, I had to bring up the fact that the series’ co-creator, Ed Boon, recently expressed interest in a potential crossover game with Street Fighter. When asked if they’d be willing to star in a crossover film with the franchise, Schulz told me that was essentially what he was trying to accomplish with his viral callout at The Game Awards.
“This is what we were trying to do at [The Game Awards]!” Schulz said. “We’re trying to set this thing up!”
“That’s what we were trying to do,” Cody Rhodes added.
“Tell them I know Noob Saibot which is [Ed Boon’s and John Tobias’] names backwards,” Eric Andre interjected. “…But a crossover? A Flinstones/Jetsons crossover? We’re in. Let’s go.”
(All three actors clarified that they have nothing but love for the Mortal Kombat franchise and the cast in the films; this hilarious trio was merely bantering with me about the situation, but it’s clear they are definitely willing to work with the Mortal Kombat folks in some capacity.)
This was a sentiment echoed by most of the Street Fighter cast members that I interviewed. Almost every one of them were game for a possible collaboration with another fighting game franchise, with Andrew Koji and Callina Liang specifically mentioning Marvel vs Capcom.
However, director Kitao Sakurai has made it clear that any future Street Fighter films depend on how well the first one performs in theaters. Having seen it myself, I can say that it’s very good fun and full of lore and Easter eggs that fans will enjoy — but you’ll have to form your opinion when you sit down to watch it for yourself.
Street Fighter hits theaters on October 16, 2026.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
