Nintendo Teases A Wave Of Game-To-Movie Adaptations: They're Just Getting Started
Fresh off The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s box-office smash, Nintendo is gearing up to roll out a steady stream of big-screen releases.
Nintendo is not just dipping a toe into movies anymore. After Mario blew the doors off the box office in 2023, the company is gearing up for a steady pipeline of films, starting with a Mario Galaxy movie in 2026 and a live-action Legend of Zelda in 2027. Yes, pipeline. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa literally promised a "consistent cadence" of releases. Buckle up.
What Nintendo just said out loud
During the company’s November 4 financial results briefing, Furukawa said Nintendo is preparing for ongoing movie releases. The big note here: they are not just cashing licensing checks. He stressed that Nintendo stays hands-on, gets deeply involved in production, and even helps finance these things. Shigeru Miyamoto, the guy who created both Mario and Zelda, is co-producing both of the next films.
"One comment we received was, 'I was able to cheer for the same Mario I played with in games as a child, but this time in a movie theater as a parent with my own kids.'"
That is Furukawa highlighting what the Mario movie did for Nintendo: it played across generations and pulled in people who barely touch a controller. The part he does not need to say: when your first swing makes $1.361 billion, you do more swings.
The slate so far
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - April 3, 2026 - Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic return to direct, with Matthew Fogel back on the script. Universal and Illumination are sticking with the original team, because of course they are.
- The Legend of Zelda - May 7, 2027 - Live-action, directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes). Casting is already trickling in: Bo Bragason (Renegade Nell) as Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Haunting of Bly Manor) as Link.
Quick Mario refresher and why this is happening
The 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie sent Brooklyn plumber Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, into the Mushroom Kingdom to team up with Princess Peach, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. The mission: rescue Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day, and stop Jack Black’s Bowser from snagging an all-powerful upgrade and taking over the place. Well, that and his real dream: marrying Peach. World domination and wedding planning, a classic combo.
Given that box office performance, it is not shocking Universal and Illumination reassembled the original creative crew for the Mario Galaxy follow-up. If it ain’t broken, you let it keep printing money.
How involved is Nintendo really?
More than you might expect. Furukawa made a point of saying the company does not just license IP and walk away. Nintendo is inside the process, co-producing, and helping to pay for it. And yes, Miyamoto is on both Mario and Zelda as a co-producer. For a company famously protective of its brands, that tracks.
What could be next
Nothing official beyond Mario and Zelda, but you can already hear the speculation machine revving: Animal Crossing feels like the crowd-pleaser layup, and a live-action Splatoon is weird enough to be fun if they nail the tone. The short version: do not be surprised if this film run stretches well past 2027.