After Mario, a Zelda movie? 7 Nintendo Franchises We Want to See in Movies

With $716 million already collected at the global box office, Super Mario Bros. is already a historic success! The film broke Warcraft’s record as the highest-grossing video game adaptation, and it’s not going to stop there.

Nintendo and Illumination aren’t going to give up anytime soon! If a Super Mario Bros. sequel is inevitable, it’s likely that the collaboration between the two companies will lead to another product bearing the Big N!

Why not imagine collaborating with other major animation studios, exploring different aesthetic styles?

With the endless richness of the Nintendo universe, one would think that the Kyoto firm would want to expand the experience by bringing other iconic licenses to the screen. We have selected 7 franchises from famous Japanese companies that would certainly make a great animated film.

Luigi’s Palace

In the Super Mario Bros. movie, Luigi finds himself in the Dark Land and ends up capturing Bowser. Upon his arrival in these desolate and bleak lands, Nintendo fans will recognize references to Luigi’s Mansion, the iconic trilogy released on GameCube, 3DS and Switch.

Thus, Mario’s brother could have his own film in the atmosphere of a family horror film. In the games, the cowardly Luigi has to save his brother, the plumber, trapped in ghosts.

Very burlesque, the story definitely has a Ghostbusters-esque cinematic aura, with Luigi vacuuming up ghosts with his vacuum cleaner.

Donkey Kong

The famous Nintendo primate, the antagonist of the first Super Mario game in the early 80s, has a prominent place in the animated film released on April 5th.

Hugely popular with fans, the colossal gorilla has his own world, most notably through the Donkey Kong Country saga.

This series of games could become the basis for a film adaptation centered on the Kong family, which has undeniable comic potential.

Metroid

With Metroïd, we’re serious. The franchise is highly regarded by fans who adore its protagonist, Samus Aran.

With an atmosphere reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s first Alien, the Metroid Prime trilogy would be the perfect basis for a big screen adaptation.

Samus Aran, the protagonist of the license, has a very stylish Iron Man armor, as well as a sophisticated weapon. He would make Ripley a worthy SF hero!

STARFOX

The Star Fox franchise is also one of the most popular video game series for gamers. Between Star Wars, Top Gun, and Star Trek, the saga of multiple movie references already has all the makings of a good adaptation.

Between dogfights and chases in spaceships, hero Fox McCloud could make a sensational entry into the world of the 7th Art!

ZELDA

The Legend of Zelda is truly the most adored saga of Nintendo fans. The latter are also looking forward to Tears of the Kingdom’s sequel, Breath of the Wild, on Switch.

They have already marked the white stone on May 12, 2023, the date when they will finally be able to insert the fatal cartridge into the console.

However, the adaptation of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64), considered the greatest game of all time, will be a fabulous source of excitement for fans around the world.

In our wildest dreams, Makoto Shinkai, director of Your Name and Suzume, would be the perfect artist to bring a world of incredible depth to the screen.

SUPER SMASH BROS

fight! This series of fighting games is one of the greatest successes of the Kyoto firm. Its triumph has not been denied for more than 20 years on each generation of the console.

Bringing together many characters from Nintendo and other major video game studios, Super Smash Bros will be a one-of-a-kind adaptation of the Avengers game!

F-ZERO

Not as popular as Mario Kart, the F-Zero series of racing games remains a safe bet in Nintendo’s catalog.

The sense of speed is insane in this saga driven by Captain Falcon, a colorful character inspired by Stallone’s Judge Dredd.

F-Zero in an animated movie could be a lot of fun, somewhere between Cars and Mad Max Fury Road!