Nintendo has filed a copyright notice for an unannounced Donkey Kong film, in collaboration with Universal Pictures.
The filing, for a “Untitled Donkey Kong Project; Motion Picture” lists Nintendo Studios LLC as the copyright holder, alongside Universal Pictures.
Nintendo Studios is of course Nintendo’s own in-house arm dedicated to turning its own franchises into big screen hits, while Universal Pictures is Nintendo’s animation partner (through its Minions-making Illumination studio) behind the box office breaking Super Mario Bros. Movie.
There have long been rumblings of a Donkey Kong-starring spin-off to Nintendo’s big screen Mario blockbuster, though it’s believed that the next Mario film is more of a straight sequel — and reportedly titled Super Mario World.
So, what’s this? Fans think that the filing, originally lodged in May this year, points to a further project due out after Nintendo’s next main Mario film. And some are even speculating that this is the start of a Nintendo Cinematic Universe, with various stars getting their own solo movies while being part of the same franchise.
The news comes just days before the launch of Nintendo’s big new Nintendo Switch 2 release, Donkey Kong Bananaza. With a more cinematic focus and hints that this game might offer more of a storyline, could the Donkey Kong movie link into elements of its narrative?
For now, Nintendo is keeping quiet about much its big screen plans (which also include a separate, live-action production to adapt The Legend of Zelda). But we did recently get a brief update on the next Super Mario Bros. film, which is set to launch on April 3, 2026.
“We have reached a point where we are confident that the new movie will be an entertaining film, so we have announced its theatrical release for next spring,” Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto said of the upcoming second Mario Bros. movie, during last month’s Nintendo investors Q&A.
“We do not want to set a release date first and then force the production schedule to meet it. This is similar to game development; we want to release something that we are confident will satisfy our consumers. I always tell our teams to ‘work for the consumer, not for your boss’.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
