Nintendo Is Powering Up for More Video Game Movies Actorsvaultpro

Nintendo has ambitious movie plans for the next few years. After The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed over $1 billion worldwide in 2023, Nintendo properties became a hot commodity. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is set for an April 2026 release and will be followed by The Legend of Zelda in May 2027, with fans eagerly anticipating many more films based on the company’s classic characters. The library of titles owned by Nintendo enables it to compete with the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars.

During an investor presentation, via IGN, Nintendo revealed it was “building a framework for a consistent release cadence.” In the presentation, they highlighted their upcoming releases of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and The Legend of Zelda, and added, “We are continuing to prepare for the ongoing release of movies in the future.” Nintendo did not specify which of its games it is developing into films.

What Films Could Nintendo Be Developing?

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Even though Nintendo did not name any specific films, a few are rumored to be in the pipeline. Universal Pictures could expand The Super Mario Bros. franchise in big ways with various spin-off films, like a Luigi’s Mansion film. Universal Pictures is reportedly developing an animated Donkey Kong film starring Seth Rogen. A Donkey Kong movie certainly seems more enticing following the critical and sales hit that was Donkey Kong Bananza earlier in 2025. Meanwhile, given the tease of Yoshi at the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a Yoshi’s Island movie could be in development. Whatever the case may be, Universal Pictures will likely reveal more plans for their Nintendo slate following the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Then there are non-Mario-related games that Nintendo could be developing, both as live-action and animated properties. It is easy to imagine Metroid and Fire Emblem as live-action films, while the likes of Kirby and Star Fox would likely be better suited to animation. Nintendo recently released a cryptic Pikman short, which could suggest the video game developer wants to turn that franchise into an animated film series. Splatoon and Animal Crossing are two other Nintendo games that could make for great animated films.

Nintendo is very much like Marvel before Marvel Studios, as the video game publisher licenses its games to different studios. Nintendo seems to have access to the Mario characters and those affiliated with him, like Donkey Kong and Yoshi. The Legend of Zelda is set up at Sony Pictures, which is ironic given that Sony is the manufacturer of PlayStation, making it Nintendo’s biggest competitor in the video game scene. However, because these Nintendo films are being developed at different studios, it likely means fans should not hold out hope for a Super Smash Bros.-style crossover film.