Illumination's upcoming Super Mario Bros: The Movie has finally revealed its main voice cast and central characters, shedding some light on the project and confusing audiences worldwide. Information is still limited, but some details in the brief reveal might point towards a very different direction for the Nintendo film universe and continue to break new ground.
Among the primary characters of the Super Mario film, the typical mainstays, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad and Bowser appear as expected. But among the finer details are a couple less likely picks, namely early series regular Donkey Kong and his ancient grandfather Cranky Kong. The Kong family do not appear in a ton of Mario media, they typically keep out of the main entries and stick to sports or party games, but they do have their own franchise that might be Nintendo's next film idea.
In the modern period of cinema, big interconnected franchises are the holy grail for studios and often a big hit amongst audiences. Any big blockbuster can be the jumping-off point for multiple hit series, that, with time and success, could fold back into a single shared experience. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is still the apex of this phenomenon, but competitors like the DC Extended Universe or the Kaiju-centered Monsterverse manage to achieve massive feats. There are also numerous failed attempts, like the Dark Universe, which swiftly died off, leaving the strategy still unassailable. A massive company like Nintendo placing their flagship property back into cinemas after almost thirty years probably has their eyes on that type of success.
Donkey Kong hit the arcades in 1981, introducing both the titular ape and Mario to audiences everywhere. Fans are probably well aware by now that the Donkey Kong who appears in the modern entries is not the one who threw barrels down at the plumber all those years ago. That original Kong has aged substantially and is now referred to as Cranky Kong. His grandson is the Donkey Kong most would recognize under that name, and he has gone on to star in many solo projects.
In 1994, Donkey Kong would get his own franchise with Rare's Donkey Kong Country series. The Country games are platform action games wherein Donkey Kong and his sidekick Diddy Kong take on enemies like King K. Rool. This series introduced DK's friends and enemies, his love of bananas, and his new role as a strong but silent hero. In 2010, the series began anew with Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze, the latter of which allowed audiences to play as Diddy's friend Dixie Kong, the radical surfer Funky Kong and the one that started it all, Cranky Kong. The game series is rife with its own iconography, simple but fun storylines, and an identifiable cast of characters.
Super Mario Bros: The Movie is set to be the flagship property of Nintendo's cinematic efforts, but perhaps some of its choices are planting seeds for a Donkey Kong spin-off. There is not much information about the film in general, but the cast list does tease in that direction. Donkey Kong is not an integral part of any particular Mario story, most of which follow the same rescue the princess from Bowser formula. He returns to a villain role in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, in which the two conflict over Mario toys, but this series is a spin-off. Donkey Kong is routinely referenced in mainline Mario games, but never actually appears in anything but spin-offs and side games. His role in the movie is therefore a mystery, whether he'll join the hero team to defeat Bowser or perhaps act as muscle for the villains.
Cranky Kong's presence in the cast is even more unusual. Cranky's relation to Mario begins and ends with the first two games the characters appeared in. In 1981's Donkey Kong, the ape now known as Cranky kidnapped Pauline and attempted to stop Mario from saving her, in the 1982 sequel Donkey Kong Jr., Mario kidnaps Cranky and the titular Junior must save him. Those two games are the only interaction the two have, and Cranky is typically more of a guide character. He has dialogue in many Donkey Kong-centric games, but has only been playable once. Cranky Kong has no role in the typical Mario story, so his appearance in the film is the biggest hint that a larger Donkey Kong film series might be the intended next direction.
Nintendo is a company with countless popular franchises that could easily make the jump to film. Many have already tried and failed, hardly a year goes by without rumors of a Zelda movie or a Metroid movie that never gets so much as a teaser. With the company finally revisiting a Mario movie, it would be crazy to think Nintendo isn't eyeing the potential for a massive multiverse film franchise. If Donkey Kong is their next direction, who knows which franchise could hit the big screen next.