Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

Is Nintendo considering movie projects again?

By

nintendo movies wreck it ralph bowser
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The one and only time Nintendo endeavored to make a movie out of one of its popular video-game properties, the result — 1993’s disastrous, live-action Super Mario Bros. movie — was an epic failure that soured the company’s relationship with Hollywood from that point forward. However, the iconic game company might be changing its tune, according to a recent interview with the head of the Nintendo’s Entertainment Analysis & Development division.

The comments on Nintendo’s big-screen future were made during a recent earnings report to investors, with Nintendo’s creative mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto suggesting that the company is “potentially” considering future projects in the movie world.

Recommended Videos

“We’ve had, over the years, a number of people who have come to us and said, ‘Why don’t we make a movie together—or we make a movie and you make a game and we’ll release them at the same time?'” said Miyamoto (as reported by Fortune). “Because games and movies seem like similar mediums, people’s natural expectation is we want to take our games and turn them into movies… I’ve always felt video games, being an interactive medium, and movies, being a passive medium, mean the two are quite different.”

Related

“As we look more broadly at what is Nintendo’s role as an entertainment company, we’re starting to think more and more about how movies can fit in with that,” he continued. “And we’ll potentially be looking at things like movies in the future.”

Updated on 5-16-2016 by Gabe Gurwin: It appears that Nintendo is now using much more concrete language regarding its plans for motion pictures. According to a new interview with CEO Tatsumi Kimishima, the company is planning to have films ready within the next five years. The projects will likely be animated so as to not have a repeat of the Super Mario Bros. fiasco.

In recent years, Nintendo had seemed to soften its stance on its properties appearing in big-screen projects. Recurring Super Mario Bros. villain Bowser appeared in Disney’s Oscar-nominated 2012 animated feature Wreck-It Ralph (pictured above), and the barrel-tossing franchise headliner Donkey Kong (as well as several other Nintendo characters) had a featured role in this summer’s underwhelming live-action feature Pixels (which, fortunately, doesn’t seem to have soured Nintendo all over again).

Rumors have also suggested that a Legend of Zelda series could be in the works at Netflix, but Nintendo has denied this report.

There’s currently no official word on which characters, if any, could be making the leap from console to screen, or when any such projects might begin development.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Rick Marshall
Rick Marshall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers: how they work and eligible games
Princess Peach.

Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers vanished from the eShop in 2019, but they've since made a triumphant return. Though they won't be perfect for everyone, these vouchers are ideal for folks interested in playing multiple Switch games throughout the year and looking to save a few bucks on their purchase. After buying a voucher, you'll be able to browse an ever-growing selection of digital Switch games -- including Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Tears of the Kingdom -- and snag them at a discount.

Curious about the Nintendo Switch Game Voucher program? Here's everything you need to know about the unique program.
How Nintendo Switch Vouchers work

Read more
Everything you need to know about Nintendo Switch Online
Person holding Nintendo Switch, looking at the home screen.

Much like Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, the Nintendo Switch makes it easy to jump online and play with friends. The service, known simply as Nintendo Switch Online, has seen big changes over the years, and it now offers plenty more than access to online multiplayer. One of the biggest draws is its growing collection of games from N64, NES, and other iconic platforms -- making Nintendo Switch Online a great way to access the best titles from past generations.

Nintendo offers a few different options when it comes to paying for Nintendo Switch Online, with both individual accounts and family accounts up for grabs. From its library of retro games to a smartphone application and special offers, here's a complete look at Nintendo Switch Online.
Individual/family subscription models

Read more
Mother 3 is finally on Nintendo Switch … but only in Japan
Clause standing b y a bench in Mother 3.

Mother 3, the highly requested cult-classic RPG for the Game Boy Advance, is set to appear today on the Nintendo Switch Online service. But there's a catch: It's only available in Japan.

North Americans were first introduced to the Mother series under the name Earthbound on the SNES in 1995. As was common at the time, the game was renamed for the West in an attempt to avoid confusion. In 2006, a third entry was released in Japan for the GBA simply called Mother 3, but it has never had an official translation for Western audiences. Both Mother 2, aka Earthbound, and the original Mother, renamed Earthbound Beginnings, have been added to Nintendo Switch Online, but there has never been any indication that the third game would receive the same treatment.

Read more