Nintendo Teases More Movie Characters Beyond Mario and Zelda
Nintendo’s push into feature films has been getting real traction lately, with both Super Mario movies landing as major box office successes, even if critics have been mixed on the results. There’s also a Legend of Zelda adaptation on the way, though what it will be like is still largely a mystery—so far, the only glimpses show two people sitting in a field.
Release and platform tracker: Nintendo’s live-action plans are expanding
Beyond the already-released Super Mario cinema outings, Nintendo is preparing more cross-media projects that include films and video content. In particular, the company has publicly signaled that it wants to grow the slate beyond its two biggest franchises, with additional properties and “new characters” planned for future adaptations.
Whatever the quality ends up being, the broader takeaway is clear: Nintendo is increasingly willing to take its biggest brands outside of gaming. That was a more cautious move in the past, but the momentum from its movie wins appears to be emboldening the company. Now, Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto says more initiatives featuring “new characters” are in the pipeline.
Nintendo Wants To Expand Outside Of Gaming With “New Characters”
“Going forward, we will expand these initiatives and would like to bring not only Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, but also new characters, to the world,” Miyamoto said during Nintendo’s latest investor Q&A. He added that the expansion won’t rely on a single format, mentioning that Nintendo plans to develop these efforts through multiple avenues, including movies and videos.
This isn’t purely theoretical either. One notable example already played out in the real world: Fox McCloud showed up unexpectedly in the Super Mario Galaxy movie. For Nintendo fans, it’s one of the clearest signals that the company is actively exploring how to bring more of its intellectual property to theaters—and how doing so could help drive interest in additional games and even new hardware.
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Which other characters might join the lineup is still anyone’s guess, but the range of options feels wide open. Could we see an Fire Emblem or Xenoblade anime-style series? A slice-of-life animated take on Splatoon? Or a big-budget Metroid action film? With Nintendo’s catalog, “anything” is at least plausible—and that’s exactly the part that’s likely to get fans talking.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Cast
- Chris Pratt as Mario
- Charlie Day as Luigi
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach
- Jack Black as Bowser
