Nintendo has a plethora of popular IPs which could be transformed into excellent movie fodder and the company keen to utilise these based on the success of the Super Mario Bros. Movie. Speaking to investors, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has said that the Kyoto-based company intends to do just this, though he wouldn’t elaborate on which of its many IPs it is experimenting into bringing into the movie world. The next key Nintendo franchise being turned into a live action movie is The Legend of Zelda.
“We released The Super Mario Bros. Movie in theaters in April 2023, and are pleased to say that it has been received positively by many people around the world. Looking ahead, we plan to release a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros. in April 2026, and a live-action movie of The Legend of Zelda in May 2027. Under our strategy of ”expanding the number of people who have access to Nintendo IP” to continuously invigorate our core integrated hardware-software business, we have been working on initiatives beyond our dedicated video game platforms for several years. Visual content is one such area. And rather than simply licensing our IP to film production companies, we are taking a proactive approach where Nintendo itself is deeply involved in production and makes investments as needed. This approach allows us to maintain a strong commitment to the quality of the final product. Although we cannot discuss our plans beyond The Legend of Zelda movie at this time, we are working on various other projects.”
