There’s a rumor going around today from a noted leaker about Nintendo’s big plans for its Marvel-like cinematic film universe, and if it’s true, uh wow, we sure are stacked with Nintendo movies for the next decade or so:
Update on the Nintendo Cinematic Universe:
-A Donkey Kong movie is already deep in development and slated for a 2028 release
-Work has begun on Mario 3, targeting 2029
-A Star Fox movie is in development, eyeing a 2030 release
-A Kirby movie is in early development
-Luigi’s… pic.twitter.com/TeyqSaEcJl
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) April 24, 2026
MyTimeToShineHello has leaked things accurately before, but also gotten an awful lot of things wrong, and that account makes predictions a lot, so the veracity of all this remains questionable, if not genuinely dubious. It does, however, invite us all to exercise rampant speculation as to what all these allegedly upcoming Nintendo movies are going to be, and how they’ll interact with one another as they gear up to the enormous “Everyone is here!” moment fans have been speculating is coming in the form of a Smash Bros. film. So for a minute, I’m going to pretend this is a real, known timeline, and ponder the implications of each of these films in light of the other Nintendo movies we already know are coming up, starting with:
The Legend of Zelda
Okay, this one’s a bit of a freebie, because we know this is a real movie that is definitely happening and even has a release date: May 7, 2027. Heck, filming wrapped earlier this month! It’s directed by Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, The Maze Runner), written by Derek Connolly and T.S. Nowlin, and starring Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Zelda. We’ve even seen just a little teaser of what the film will be, via some sneaky set leaks followed by a couple of official images showing Ainsworth in classic green and Bragason in Breath of the Wild blue.
We still don’t know much officially about what Zelda story specifically the film will follow, though fans have accumulated plenty of theories. One of the leaks contains an actor who fans think is Dichen Lachman playing a character that looks like it could be Impa, and some other photos seem to suggest a Temple of Time set, so…maybe Ocarina? Regardless, Zelda as the next big Nintendo movie is locked in at this stage, so I’ll save most of my speculation for the rest of the supposed line-up.
Donkey Kong
Rumors suggest a Donkey Kong film is already “deep in development” and planned for 2028, which with Zelda would really ease us into the steady cadence of one Nintendo movie a year. There’s actually some precedent for this specific rumor being real, as Nintendo and Universal registered an “Untitled Donkey Kong Project” copyright last year. Donkey Kong himself was notably missing from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, despite the recent success of Donkey Kong Bananza barrel-blasting the ape back into the spotlight again. Seth Rogen is rumored to be reprising his role from the first film, but what exactly he’ll be monkeying around doing is up for debate. I’d personally love to see the whole DK Crew show up for another run at something like Donkey Kong 64 in film form, but I think what we’re more likely to get is closer to a Donkey Kong Country adventure featuring Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky. Then again, Pauline did make a brief cameo appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, seemingly as the mayor of New York City, so maybe there’s some opportunity there for an adult Pauline to rendezvous with her partner in crime and get up to some shenanigans.
Super Mario Bros. Movie 3
I mean, look, this is definitely happening at some point, right? What, you think Nintendo is just going to stop making Mario movies? After how much these first two made? Nah. The gossip mill has this one coming out in 2029, but no further details on what Mario story (or lack thereof) we’d be experiencing in the third round. The recent Galaxy movie was less a Galaxy film and more a smashed-together mix of Sunshine, Galaxy, Odyssey, and some of the other Mario games thrown in for good measure, so it’s hard to guess at what plot a third Mario movie might pretend to follow. I would like to see Super Mario Sunshine told in full, including the bit where Mario gets arrested and goes to jail, the bit where a Chuckster throws Mario as hard as he can into the yawning void, and the bit where Mario has to fight Bowser while he’s cooking in a hot tub. Also there’s a ghost hotel where Luigi can have his own side adventure! Unless Nintendo plans to save that for its own film…
Star Fox
Again, this seems like a pretty big no-brainer after Star Fox’s appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. These recent rumors suggest Star Fox is further out than folks think and not coming until 2030; meanwhile unrelated rumors suggest a new Star Fox video game for later this year. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie teed up Fox McCloud as a kind of cool, charming, Han Solo–ish pilot who could easily carry his own movie if sufficiently surrounded by a cast of lovable goofballs, which is exactly what the Star Fox games provide.
Kirby
Now here’s where things get interesting. A Kirby movie in early development? Okay, sure. On one hand, Kirby seems deeply unlikely as a star of a full, feature-length movie. He can’t talk (and absolutely shouldn’t under any circumstances, no matter what they’re doing with Link), and his interests are mostly eating and sleeping—all the galaxy saving is incidental. That said, I’m a big proponent of the good ol’ Kirby: Right Back at Ya! TV series that ended up being a pretty good time thanks to an excellent supporting cast, including an hilarious emo Meta Knight and a Southern gentleman King Dedede. I could see this also interacting nicely with what’s been established of the interconnected Nintendo “galaxy” thus far that’s already been partially explored by characters like Rosalina and Fox. Perhaps Kirby is where Nintendo goes full-on MCU with it?
Wait, actually I hate that. That’s too much. Do not send Kirby to space again. Kirby is pure and has no need of endless crossover energy. Let Kirby stay home, nap, and eat his little apples until the next video game.
Luigi’s Mansion
Despite my growing cynicism about Nintendo going to the movies, I can’t help but get a little excited about a Luigi’s Mansion film. I think this is coming from a place of Charlie Day’s Luigi being one of the more interesting characters in the two films we’ve gotten so far. Him being unleashed without having to share the spotlight with Chris Pratt’s Mario and everyone else crowding in would allow Day a chance to actually do something with the character beyond just being the butt (and, more recently, instigator) of physical comedy. It also, critically, has a plot.
The biggest issue—sorry, I meant perk—with Luigi’s Mansion is that it would likely be difficult for Nintendo to turn into a giant reference-fest, as it would necessarily have to take place in a big building and most of the characters are singular ghosts who do not appear in other Nintendo properties. It’s just Luigi, King Boo, E. Gadd, and Gooigi trapped in here together.
Also, Polterpup. I simply wish to see Polterpup on screen. I do not think that is too much to ask.
Yoshi’s Island
This is allegedly in a similar pitching stage to Luigi’s Mansion, but I am far less enthused. The utterly pointless Yoshi ferrying around two babies and a Super Scope (TM) was one of the worst bits of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Do not make me watch a similar thing again. Even Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy cannot convince me this is a good idea.
Metroid
Now this is sort of interesting. An entirely different “industry insider” has been sharing rumors of a Metroid film, with both Sony and Universal reportedly in competition to secure the rights. Universal has, according to another leaker, been trying to get their hands on this since last year.
Metroid in theaters isn’t without precedent, either. Way, way back over a decade ago, John Woo was apparently signed on to direct a Metroid film, but Nintendo called it quits after seeing how the original Super Mario Bros. turned out. At the time, Nintendo allegedly hadn’t spent much time considering what Samus does when she’s not fighting, or even what her history, aspirations, and fears were. Seemingly uninterested in thinking about this deeply, Nintendo concluded it didn’t want anyone else deciding the answers to those questions for it, either, and bowed out.
Having now worked on multiple movies and seemingly being a bit more relaxed about handing the reigns to its characters over to trusted partners, maybe it really is time for Nintendo to revisit a Metroid film? The question fans will surely have on this one will be whether we see a Prime story or something more like a Super Metroid. Personally, I’m not sure I trust Nintendo’s ability to successfully work with anyone on an engaging cinematic story with themes of isolation and motherhood after two extremely fluffy, insubstantial Mario films. Maybe next year’s Zelda will give me a bit more confidence.
Bowsers
That it. That’s what the post says. Nintendo is exploring ideas for “Bowsers.” I think this probably just means a film focusing on Bowser and Bowser Jr. and possibly the Koopalings, though I think it’s funnier to read it as just a lot of regular Bowsers hanging out like it’s the Loki TV show. At least a Bowser/Bowser Jr. adventure would allow Nintendo to do something with the underbaked Super Mario Galaxy Movie subplot about Bowser wrestling with what it meant to be a father, though I wish we would have just gotten resolution and catharsis for that in the movie it was introduced in rather than being forced to wait five or six years.
Princess Peach & Rosalina
When I started writing this list, I did not expect to become increasingly cynical the further in I got. But I just…cannot feel excited about this! Like look, it’s good to have one of these that’s maybe more targeted toward kids with princess aspirations as opposed to dinosaur ones. And they gotta sell toys I guess. But both Peach and Rosalina are just…so insubstantial so far. Peach’s whole deal is that she’s an independent, royal badass with a mysterious past who cares about the Toads and might one day crush on Mario. But in Galaxy her past becomes Mysterious No More, and Rosalina is introduced to be…honestly, a very similar character. Heck, they got Brie Larsen in to voice her and she barely speaks the entire movie!
I guess you can argue this is an opportunity for Nintendo to flesh its ladies out with a bit more depth and give them time in the spotlight away from all the dudes and their mascots. I’ll try and think of it that way if this film ever materializes.
Okay wait but also if they’re doing this what are they going to do with poor Daisy?!
Super Smash Bros.
I mean here it is, right? The big Avengers moment? The thing we’ve all been speculating since they first revealed The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and have been even more prepared for since Galaxy added Star Fox, Pikmin, R.O.B., and Mr. Game & Watch. A Super Smash Bros. film would be the ultimate “everyone is here” moment for Nintendo, though with the asterisk that it’s wildly unlikely we’d ever see third-party fighters like Mr. Sora Kingdom Hearts or Sonic stop by.
Current rumors have this not releasing until after a 2030 Star Fox film, so Nintendo’s got some time to accumulate more of its roster in the cinematic universe beforehand. I’m sure this would go down very well as a fanservice-y animated fighting film, perhaps along the lines of the Extremely Okay 2021 Mortal Kombat movie. It would admittedly also give Nintendo an excuse to bring in some of the first- and second-party characters that haven’t gotten as much Nintendo love in films yet, like Ness and Lucas, Inklings, Ice Climbers, Pit, Villager and Isabelle, the Miis, Little Mac, a few Pokémon for good measure, and something like 134 different Fire Emblem guys. Okay, I guess I’m into this one just to see how Nintendo deals with a movie that must necessarily include multiple Marios.
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