Donkey Kong is finally getting his own movie adaptation, Nintendo copyright filing suggests

It seems that a new Donkey Kong film has reportedly received approval, based on recent copyright documents.

Three decades have passed since the disappointing theatrical release of the initial Super Mario Bros. movie, which failed both critically and commercially. However, Nintendo made a triumphant return to the entertainment industry with a significantly improved effort.

2023 saw the highly successful release of The Animated Super Mario Bros Movie, earning an impressive revenue of over $1.3 billion at cinema boxes worldwide.

As a passionate fan, I can’t contain my excitement as Nintendo continues to push the boundaries! They’re not content with basking in their success; instead, they’re eagerly planning to capitalize on it. Already, we’ve got the announced adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, and now, there’s a long-whispered potential Donkey Kong film on the horizon!

By May 2025, Nintendo Studios and Universal Pictures submitted copyright documents, claiming they are jointly responsible for producing a future Donkey Kong movie that currently doesn’t have a title.

In the 2023 cinematic comeback of Mario, Donkey Kong, given voice by Seth Rogen, has been a fan favorite. This popularity has fueled discussions about whether it’s high time for this beloved character to take center stage in his own spotlight.

This would represent a larger push from Nintendo to bring Donkey Kong back into the spotlight.

This month, I’m super excited for the launch of Donkey Kong Bananza! It’ll be my first solo mainline game since 2014’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Can’t wait to jump into some new adventures!

The character has been given an updated look for both Bananza and this month’s Mario Kart World, which aligns him closer to his initial design and, most distinctively, to his appearance in the Super Mario Bros movie.

Nintendo has positioned him prominently at its Super Nintendo World theme parks in Japan and the United States, with Donkey Kong World being the initial significant expansion for these parks.

From a die-hard fan perspective, while specifics about the upcoming movie are scarce at the moment, I have high hopes that it will be brought to life by Illumination, the studio behind the 2023 Mario film and its anticipated 2026 sequel, under Universal’s wing.

Additionally, it appears quite plausible that Rogen might once again take on the character of the titular ape, given that the movie could potentially link up with the primary Mario series of films.

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2025-07-14 17:05