Nintendo President Confirms More Nintendo Films Are Underway; Company Involvement Is Essential For Each Production

Back in 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie hit theaters and no surprise – it grossed over $1 billion in the box office. In Rectify Gaming’s review for the film, we said: “The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a love letter to the fans that were starving for a great Mario film. To the ‘secular’ filmgoer, it may not be much to see, but as the general audience gets older, people will realize what big of a deal Mario was to the world.”

Looking ahead, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa did press in an interview that there is a greater spectrum of films that plans to be in motion for Nintendo properties. In 2024, Nintendo & Illumination confirmed a sequel for The Super Mario Bros. Movie is underway aiming to arrive sometime in 2026. Not to mention the live-action The Legend of Zelda film as well with Sony Pictures.

When speaking to investors as part of its shareholders Q&A recently, Nintendo has elaborated on its plans for transmedia pertaining to its library of IP. Furukawa elaborated that Nintendo’s involvement in productions are a necessity to accurately translate its franchises to the medium. He also disclosed more projects are on the way that were not announced yet.

“Under our strategy of ”expanding the number of people who have access to Nintendo IP” to continuously invigorate our core integrated hardware-software business, we have been working on initiatives beyond our dedicated video game platforms for several years. Visual content is one such area.

“And rather than simply licensing our IP to film production companies, we are taking a proactive approach where Nintendo itself is deeply involved in production and makes investments as needed. This approach allows us to maintain a strong commitment to the quality of the final product.”

The latest buzz for one of its upcoming films circles around The Legend of Zelda. Although casting is still underway with pre-production in its infancy, rumors have it that Sony Pictures is currently eyeing Hunter Schafer (Euphoria, Cuckoo) to portray Princess Zelda. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you interested in the statement from Nintendo?

Source: Nintendo