Nintendo has some outstanding news for fans who want to see their favorite characters represented on screens. According to Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, the company plans to accelerate the release cadence of its upcoming film projects. For the moment, Nintendo has The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and the live-action Legend of Zelda adaptation in the works, with Zelda recently moving into its filming process.
According to Furukawa, he wants to build a “Consistent Release Cadence” that allows projects based on Nintendo’s fan-favorite IP to be released regularly. Nintendo learned a great deal from the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and will continue its hands-on approach when producing its film and television projects. The studio presented a brief timeline document at the company’s Q2 financial earnings report, featuring both Super Mario Bros. Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda, as well as two additional spots for unannounced projects.
What other film projects is Nintendo working on? Signs point to the studio making a film starring Donkey Kong, likely with Seth Rogen reprising his role as the banana-loving, barrel-hurling hero of DK Jungle. While there are no concrete plans announced for a Donkey Kong movie, Nintendo and Universal did file a copyright in July for an Untitled Donkey Kong project.
Beyond Donkey Kong, Shigeru Miyamoto has floated the idea of developing a Pikmin film project. The Pikmin received the animation treatment last month when Nintendo Studios released “Close to You,” a mysterious release that turned out to be a short film featuring the Pikmin. In the short film, the Pikmin, which are invisible to humans, ran rampant in an infant’s bedroom, causing all manner of mischief. Nintendo insists the short film is merely an example of what its in-house animation studio can do, but fans are already hoping for more.
What Nintendo brand characters would you like to see on the silver screen? I would love a Metroid movie, a stop-motion Kirby television series, a Luigi’s Mansion film or limited series, a Fire Emblem anime, or an Animal Crossing series with multimedia components.
Are you excited about Nintendo increasing its release schedule in the future? What films or projects would you like to see come to life on screens? Let us know in the comments section below.
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