Shigeru Miyamoto teases Nintendo’s potential future movie plans
The Mario creator is thinking ahead after The Super Mario Bros' Movie's worldwide success
Mario creator and Nintendo director Shigeru Miyamoto has talked up potential future movie plans in the wake of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s incredible box office success.
"Nintendo is like a talent agency. We have plenty of other entertainers," Miyamoto said in an interview with Japanese publication Nikkei (translated by Nintendo Everything).
"There are many possible ways we could go, such as using characters that would be fit for movies, or very well-known characters."
While Miyamoto stopped short of namechecking any of those "well-known characters", a quick glance of Nintendo’s all-star roster of characters should be enough to cause excitement: Samus, Link, and Kirby could all be good fits for the Hollywood treatment. And that’s to say nothing of a Smash Bros. crossover event.
That could be a long way off, however. Nintendo and Illumination are still counting the cash from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has raked in over $800 million at the worldwide box office as of writing – and is inching its way towards the $1 billion mark.
A sequel, then, is looking likely. Bowser actor Jack Black has even put forward his pick for who should play Mario’s rival Wario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2: The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal.
"You know, what if there is a more powerful, more evil villain? Then I may need to be turned to help Mario and the rest to defend our universe against some other unseen force of evil," Black told GameSpot. "Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Wario. Pedro Pascal is Wario."
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
From Metal Gear Solid to It Takes Two, here’s a look at all the upcoming video game movies currently in the works. Plus, take a look at 85 of the biggest Super Mario Bros. Movie Easter eggs we uncovered in the movie.
I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.