Street Fighter film brings back Guile's Theme with orchestra and guitars

Guile's Theme is back with an orchestra and electric guitars, released as the first track from the new Street Fighter film ahead of its cinema release on 16 October.

The new recording keeps the main melody that fans will recognise instantly. It then adds a guitar solo and cinematic tweaks built for a cinema sound system, according to details shared via GameSpot. The arrangement pairs orchestral sections alongside electric guitar.

It still sounds like Guile. That familiarity is the point, because the tune has followed the character for more than three decades.

The original Guile's Theme debuted in the 1991 arcade release of Street Fighter II. It was composed by Yoko Shimomura, who went on to become one of games' best-known composers.

The film version comes from Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, the composers behind the original score for the movie. The pair are known for their work on Cobra Kai, the martial-arts drama series that continued the Karate Kid story.

Milan Records is releasing the soundtrack, which will feature Birenberg and Robinson's original score for the film, as reported by Billboard. The full album runs to 39 tracks in total. It will be available starting on 16 October, the same day the film arrives in cinemas.

That date is listed as the scheduled theatrical release in The Hollywood Reporter. WWE performer Cody Rhodes plays Guile, the flat-topped US Air Force fighter whose stage music became a favourite far beyond the games.

The wider cast includes Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters and Callina Liang as Chun-Li. The film is directed by Kitao Sakurai and is set in 1993, two years after Street Fighter II first reached arcades.

What makes this stand out is how little the melody needed to change. For fans, this means the first taste of the film is not a new song, but a very old one dressed for the big screen.