Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who is also Nintendo’s Representative Director, is basking in the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. and has confirmed more projects are in the works. The creator of classic games such as Mario, Donkey Kong, and Legenda of Zelda, to name a few, recently said in an interview that Nintendo’s next movie project could involve other characters.
From Nikkei (via VGC):
“Please keep an eye on our next production,” Miyamoto said. This time, Mario was the focus, but, “Nintendo is like a talent agency. We have many other entertainers (on our roster),” the company Fellow added.
Miyamoto added, “There are various ways to develop characters (for the screen), including characters that are suitable for film and characters that are well known.”
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been breaking box-office records since its April 5 release and clearly Nintendo hopes to capitalize on that with more adaptations. It was also recently confirmed that a sequel to another blockbuster is in the works. Deadline has reported that a follow-up to the 2019 live-action Pokémon Detective Pikachu is moving forward. Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel is said to be in negotiations to direct the sequel with Chris Galletta (The Kings of Summer) writing the script. There is no word on if Ryan Reynolds will be returning but it is rumored to be a possibility. The first film managed to take in over $430 million globally.
While Nintendo is basking in the success of both of these projects it still has many more characters to draw upon which is likely what Miyamoto was referring to. From Mario to Legenda of Zelda, and even Star Fox, there are a great many classic franchises that many have grown up playing which could lead to box-office success if adapted in such a way to draw in fans such as these two movies have.
Discussion (3 replies)
Join Discussion →Oh good gawd no.
Heard this morning that The Super Mario Bros. movie managed a 3rd week at #1 in North America and it's expected to cross the $1B mark globally within weeks making it only the 4th movie to do so since the pandemic hit.
I'm not really into this stuff either but at least it's something else for people to go see but we all know that fatigue will set in just like it always does.
This is a bit different than marvel super hero movies. Kids and parents went to see this movie and loved it. Then older crowds went and said this is good. If they can maintain the quality, keep the in jokes for adults (Like WB is known for.) and keep it frenetic and entertaining enough kids will eat it up. Parents are hungry for stuff that their kids and they can enjoy together.
I don't know how many of you are parents or grandparents like myself. But shared experiences are important to parents and grandparents. It's even more important than the overall quality of the entertainment.
That's why places like Great Wolf Lodge exist and can charge nearly 1000 dollars a night for the experience. Families (parents and grandparents) want shared experiences and memories to cherish. So there will always be a market for products that bridge that gap.