Nintendo and Universal are seemingly working on a Donkey Kong movie.
In a recently published May copyright notice, Nintendo mentions an “Untitled Donkey Kong Project” that’s specifically listed as a motion picture. Universal Pictures, the parent company of The Super Mario Bros. Movie animation studio Illumination, is also listed as a copyright holder.
Given all of that, it would certainly seem that Nintendo and Universal are making a spin-off of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in 2023 and grossed over $1 billion. In the film, Donkey Kong, voiced by Vancouver’s own Seth Rogen, is one of the main supporting characters.
The timing of the notice is also notable. For one, Nintendo’s first expansion to its popular Super Nintendo World area at Universal Studios theme parks was centred around Donkey Kong, joining the initial Mario-themed attractions. The “Donkey Kong Country” attraction has been at Universal Studios Japan since December 2024 and just opened at Universal Studios Orlando in May.
On top of that, Nintendo is about to release Donkey Kong Bananza, the iconic gorilla’s first 3D game since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Therefore, it makes sense that Nintendo would want greater multimedia synergy surrounding DK alongside a new movie. It remains to be seen whether Rogen would reprise the role of DK.
It should be noted that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa also recently confirmed that more adaptations of its games are in the works beyond the previously confirmed sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie (releasing April 3, 2026) and live-action The Legend of Zelda movie (opening March 26, 2027). It remains to be seen when we’ll learn more about Nintendo’s future film projects.
In the meantime, fans can look forward to Donkey Kong Bananza, the second major Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive after Mario Kart World. For more on Bananza, check out our interview with Nintendo.
Image credit: Nintendo
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