Now that Super Mario Bros. The Movie has hit the ground running worldwide, Shigeru Miyamoto seems interested in more Nintendo film adaptations coming sometime in the future. The video game giant hasn’t been on the silver screen before, but now seems content with its partnership with Illumination.
Nintendo has had bad luck with film adaptations in the past. The original Super Mario Bros. movie in 1993 was a huge failure, with many critics considering it not only one of the worst video game adaptations, but one of the worst movies ever made. It took a while before Shigeru Miyamoto became interested in film adaptations again, but the success of the illuminated Super Mario Bros. movie finally announced in 2021 opened up the world of Nintendo properties to the possibility of an on-screen adaptation. for the first time.
Miyamoto recently gave an interview to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, in which he seemed optimistic about the possibility of future characters getting their own films. The English translation of the Nintendo Everything interview quotes Shigeru Miyamoto: “Nintendo is like a talent agency. We have a lot of other talent. We have a lot of possibilities, like using characters that are suitable for movies, or very well-known characters. With the possibility of more Nintendo IP getting movies, fans’ imaginations have been running wild. Some have even produced mock roadmaps showing the possibilities of a “Nintendo Cinematic Universe.”
One model envisions a series of movies culminating in an “Avengers-style” team-up movie that cleverly leverages the Super Smash Bros. name. Over the years, the Super Smash Bros. game has had an interesting lore that fans have followed and theorized about, so seeing Masahiro Sakurai’s brainchild make it to the big screen after the game spawned so many cinematic moments will surely very funny. Both Miyamoto and Illumination CEO Chris Meladandri have expressed interest in continuing their partnership, so there may be some sort of announcement soon to clarify what that means.
As of now, there is no official word or confirmation that anything will happen in the near future. At the very least, it’s safe to assume a sequel to the Super Mario Bros. movie will happen. Almost every successful Illumination film in the past has had multiple sequels, and the Super Mario Bros. movie is already the highest-grossing video game movie of all time, surpassing other hits like Sonic the Hedgehog. Fans will just have to wait and see what else Nintendo and Illumination have in store.
The Super Mario Bros. movie is now in theaters everywhere.