The Super Mario film from 2023 crossed $1.3 billion at the global box office. Nintendo and Illumination followed that up by announcing a Donkey Kong movie, a Legend of Zelda film, and now a Super Mario Galaxy movie packed with cameos from across the Nintendo roster. At some point, the pattern becomes impossible to ignore. Is Nintendo building its own cinematic universe?
Shigeru Miyamoto, the designer behind Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Pikmin, sat down with Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri to address exactly that question, and his answer is characteristically careful, according to Polygon's interview with the two executives.
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What Miyamoto actually said (and what he didn't)
Here's the thing: Miyamoto didn't confirm a Super Smash Bros.-style crossover universe, but he didn't shut the idea down either. His position is that Nintendo wants to be "deeply involved" in every film adaptation, from planning through to release, which is a meaningful statement coming from a company that spent decades keeping its IP off movie screens after the 1993 Super Mario Bros. live-action disaster.
The Super Mario Galaxy movie is reportedly loaded with character cameos, which has fueled speculation that Nintendo is deliberately seeding a shared continuity. The key here is that Nintendo's approach seems far more deliberate than reactive. These aren't licensing deals handed off to studios. Miyamoto and Meledandri are framing each film as something Nintendo actively shapes.
Meledandri's involvement matters too. As the producer behind the Despicable Me franchise and the first Mario film, he has a track record of building long-running animated properties. Pairing that instinct with Miyamoto's obsessive quality control creates a very specific kind of pipeline.
Why the Smash Bros. comparison keeps coming up
Super Smash Bros. is, at its core, Nintendo's answer to the question "what if all our characters existed in the same world?" It's a concept that has sold over 82 million units across the series. Naturally, fans see the cameo-heavy Galaxy movie as a cinematic version of that same idea.
Nintendo has confirmed it will be deeply involved in all its movie adaptations going forward, as reported following the studio's recent presentation. The confirmed slate currently includes:
- The Legend of Zelda (live-action, in development at Sony)
- Donkey Kong (animated, in development with Illumination)
- Super Mario Galaxy (animated, follow-up to the 2023 film)
That's three major IP adaptations running concurrently, each with Nintendo directly involved in creative decisions. Whether they share a canon or stay in separate continuities is the open question.
What this means for players watching from the sidelines
For fans, the practical implication is that Nintendo's film output is no longer a side project. These movies are being treated as extensions of the brand with the same care Nintendo applies to its games, which is a significant shift from the company's historically cautious approach to licensing.
The Super Mario Galaxy movie doesn't have a release date confirmed yet, but the Zelda live-action film is targeting a theatrical release. Keep an eye on Nintendo Direct presentations for any updates on the cinematic slate, as that's where the company has historically dropped its biggest non-game announcements. For more on what's happening across gaming and entertainment, make sure to check out more:
