David Dastmalchian found it "terrifying" taking on the part of M. Bison in the new Street Fighter movie.

The 50-year-old actor plays the antagonist in the latest big-screen take on Capcom's iconic video game series and likened the pressure of portraying such a recognisable character to starring in a theatre production of a William Shakespeare play.

In an interview with ScreenRant, David said: "I've been doing theatre, thankfully, for longer than I ever have been on camera. And so I remember getting to go and step into the shoes of Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, or an iconic Shakespeare character, or a famous Sam Shepard role.

"And I remember that terrifying pressure of, like, how many people have seen this already done? What is the idea in their mind for this character? So you have to try and - we'll see!"

Dastmalchian has lauded director Kitao Sakurai for his work on the latest Street Fighter flick, which is set to be released in October and features the likes of Noah Centineo, WWE superstar Roman Reigns and Orville Peck in the cast.

The Dune star said of the filmmaker: "The world that he created, the energy, the atmosphere that he manifested was so special. And the cast, I just love them.

"There was only person in the entire group - and it's a big group - that I knew going into the experience, which was my friend Orville Peck, and we ended up getting to have some very fun stuff together."

In the Street Fighter video game franchise - which started in 1987 - players collide in one-on-one fights organised by M. Bison in the form of a global fighting tournament.

Over the past 39 years, the games have sold over 55 million units around the world.

This is the third time Street Fighter has received a live-action adaptation for the silver screen, with the franchise's first cinematic outing coming in 1994 with the eponymous Street Fighter - which was followed by 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chu-Li.

Meanwhile, Dastmalchian previously revealed that his dream is to play a James Bond villain and pitched himself to bosses as the perfect new enemy to push 007 to his limits as the spy franchise prepares for a new era following the departure of Daniel Craig.

He told Slash Film in 2023: "It begins right now. So whoever is reading this, take it as a sign. You were meant to be reading this line at this moment as you're thinking about the future of what you guys are doing with this franchise.

"Trust me when I say that I can bring something to an enemy of 007, whether he or she or they be played in a way that no one has ever seen Bond brought to life before, which is of course the way that you guys always do it."

The Oppenheimer actor added: "I think there's no one to push Bond to the limits of their capabilities the way that I could, and I would love to do it. So there's my pitch to them.

"I can't wait for them to read this. And then I will owe you when or if I ever get that role, I guess 10 per cent."