Video game movies used to be infamous for creating poor adaptations of some beloved franchises. From the first Super Mario Bros. movie to Assassin's Creed, both fans and critics found even the better video game movies to be middling films. However, in recent times this has slightly changed, as video game adaptations like Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu have proven to be entertaining box office successes. With there being talk of a possible Sonic cinematic universe, other companies are also looking to make some new video game adaptations. Nintendo especially is seen by many as having a good chance at replicating the success of the Sonic movies.
The first video game movie Nintendo has on the cards is a new Super Mario Bros movie. It was recently announced by Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto that the film would be delayed until 2023 when it initially had an expected release of Holiday season 2022. The Super Mario Bros. movie will be an animated feature helmed by Minions and Secret Life of Pets' studio Illumination, and will feature Chris Pratt as the famous plumber.
However, the Super Mario Bros. movie may not be the only film Nintendo will have in the works in the coming years. A Twitter user has recently uncovered the copyright records for Illumination's Mario project. Alongside the companies that are expected to be listed, it appears two new companies under the names "Nintendo Studios, LLC" and "M Brothers Productions, LLC," have appeared as well.
It is being assumed that these new studios will be where Nintendo will list its films going forward. It seems unlikely that Nintendo would list two new companies were the Super Mario Bros. movie the only project it had planned, indicating that there could be some more Nintendo video game films on the way. There is plenty of spin-off potential from the Super Mario series alone, and fans could see other prominent characters like Donkey Kong and Luigi see their own films.
It is also possible Nintendo could be working on adapting other IPs into films. Fans have been hoping that The Legend of Zelda would see some kind of adaptation for a while, whether that comes in the form of a TV show or movie. Pokemon could definitely have the potential for another movie, whether its animated or similar in style to Detective Pikachu. Some fans are even hoping that Nintendo could put together a cinematic universe, eventually uniting for a Super Smash Bros. adaptation.
The Super Mario Bros. movie is scheduled to be released on April 7, 2023.