Ever since the disastrous live-action Super Mario Bros. movie in 1993, Nintendo has made a point to steer clear of any other potential movie adaptations of its beloved franchises. But after so many years, Nintendo looks ready to give it another shot, surprising fans by announcing a new Super Mario movie from Illumination, the studio responsible for the Minions franchise.
Aside from the fact that this movie will be animated this time and Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto will be heavily involved with the project as producer, exact details are still incredibly scarce. And while we probably won't be seeing a trailer any time soon, not only has Nintendo confirmed that the movie will hit cinemas in 2022, but the company already has other movie projects in the pipeline.
This comes from Nintendo's Corporate Management Policy Briefing for this financial year, where Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa states that multiple "visual content expansion projects" are being worked on. The phrasing very much suggests that it's not just movies that Nintendo is looking to expand into, and could very well lead to television shows, comic books, and perhaps more based on its library of games.
Nintendo has already dabbled in adapting its IPs and characters into other mediums before. Off the top of our head, we can name the old 90s Mario cartoons, the Kirby anime from the early 2000s, and the old Legend of Zelda cartoon. And, of course, there's the still ongoing Pokemon anime.
However, Nintendo actively seeking to embrace these other mediums is interesting and exciting, especially in regard to potential movies. There have been demands for movies based on the likes of Legend of Zelda and Metroid for years now, with plenty of fan-made concept trailers and the like scattered across the Internet. Some even hope that the Mario movie is the start of a Nintendo Cinematic Universe, eventually resulting in a Super Smash Bros. movie akin to Marvel's Avengers.
With Nintendo staying tight-lipped about any potential projects, we're probably going to be left in the dark for a very long time, but we're sure to have numerous new games to enjoy in the meantime. At the moment, Nintendo's next major release is Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a compilation of Mario's three biggest 3D games, which is due out this Friday.
Despite it being released to celebrate the series' 35th anniversary, the compilation and Nintendo have come under scrutiny and criticism from fans for a number of reasons, including its limited release.
The Super Mario movie will release in 2022.
Source: Nintendo (via Nintendo Life)