Nintendo says it’s taking a hands-on approach with its upcoming movies and hints at more projects in the works beyond Mario and Zelda.
Nintendo’s move into movies isn’t slowing down anytime soon. After the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which hit theaters in April 2023 and pulled in over a billion dollars worldwide, the company is clearly ready to do more on the big screen.
So far, two new films have been officially announced. A brand-new animated Mario movie is scheduled to hit theaters in April 2026, while a live-action Legend of Zelda film is set for May 2027. Fans have known about those release dates for a while now, but at the company’s 85th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, Nintendo opened up a bit more about how it’s approaching these projects and what might be coming next.
Nintendo is Taking the Lead on Its Movie Projects
During the shareholder Q&A last month, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa explained that the company isn’t just handing off its IP to Hollywood. Instead, it’s staying closely involved in the movie-making process.
“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,” Furukawa said.
“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.”
This strategy is part of a bigger goal Nintendo has had for a while now: to expand the reach of its characters and franchises beyond games. That includes theme parks, mobile apps, music, and now film. Furukawa also confirmed they’re already working on “various other projects” beyond Mario and Zelda, but didn’t share any details just yet.
“Although we cannot discuss our plans beyond The Legend of Zelda movie at this time, we are working on various other projects.”
Legendary Nintendo creator Shigeru Miyamoto also chimed in. He’s helping co-produce the upcoming Mario movie with Illumination founder Chris Meledandri, who recently joined Nintendo’s board as an outside director. Miyamoto emphasized that they aren’t rushing these movies to meet deadlines; they’ll be released when they’re confident fans will be happy with the result.
Chris Meledandri added, “We are hard at work on the next movie, and we’re working very closely with the team at Nintendo. It’s my hope that the movie will entertain and be embraced by the core fans first, but we also hope that the film will appeal to new fans who have not yet embraced Mario and the world of Nintendo.”
He said the team hopes the film will entertain longtime fans and also bring in new ones. The rest of the shareholder meeting focused on other topics like Nintendo Switch 2 availability, fan outreach, and accessibility. But when it comes to movies, the big takeaway is clear: Nintendo isn’t just licensing its IP anymore, it’s actively building something bigger.
We don’t yet know what these “other projects” will turn into. Could it be Luigi’s Mansion, Donkey Kong, or something entirely new? Let us know what you’d want to see next from Nintendo’s movie efforts in the comments.
