Nintendo appears ready to continue expanding its lineup of movies with a new project. This follows news about the next Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel and a live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. While the new film’s title is not official yet, some Nintendo fans noticed a recent copyright filing. It shows that Nintendo is working with Universal Pictures on another movie based on its game characters.
A well-known video game reporter, Wario64, posted about the copyright notice on social media. He pointed out that forum users found the filing, which is titled “Untitled Donkey Kong Project; Motion picture,” and shows a registration date of June 6, 2025. There are no other new details in the record, but it makes it likely that Donkey Kong could become the next Nintendo character to lead his own film.
“Untitled Donkey Kong Project ; Motion picture” US Copyright registered by Universal Pictures https://t.co/iOWSksyNTkhttps://t.co/gMc7HP8KlC pic.twitter.com/liG1znqC8j
— Wario64 (@Wario64) July 13, 2025
Donkey Kong is not new to the big screen. He had a key role in the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie, where actor Seth Rogen provided his voice. During an interview in 2022, Rogen commented, “And if the Fast & Furious films have taught us anything, it’s all about family,” referencing possible future movies featuring Donkey Kong and his relatives.
Nintendo has two confirmed movies currently in the works. One is the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel, which is expected to be released in April 2026 and will probably include Donkey Kong along with more guest appearances. The other is a live-action Legend of Zelda film, which now has a release date set for March 2027. Reports also mentioned a second Detective Pikachu movie at one point, but its status remains uncertain.
The steady increase in Nintendo movie projects comes after the box office success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. That film made $1.36 billion worldwide and broke several ticket sale records, including the largest opening for an animated film. Even though critics gave it mixed reviews, with a 59% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audience approval reached 95%. This strong turnout suggests many fans are willing to watch more Nintendo-based movies or spinoffs.
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Mike Murphy
I'm a politically incorrect, amateur sci-fi writer with zero publications to date. I'm also an unrepentant veteran of the US Navy and fan of Peter Park's marriage to Mary Jane.
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