Nintendo Gears Up for Donkey Kong Movie After Mario Success
Nintendo and Universal Pictures are working on a new Donkey Kong movie, following the huge success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While the film hasn’t been officially announced yet, a new copyright filing in May 2025 at the U.S. Copyright Office confirms that an “untitled Donkey Kong project” is in early development. It’s officially labeled as a motion picture, which means a big-screen debut for the famous ape could be coming soon.
Seth Rogen, who voiced Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, may return for the solo movie, though nothing is confirmed yet. In a 2023 interview with ScreenRant, Rogen shared that he would love a spin-off based on the classic video game Donkey Kong Country, calling it fast-paced and perfect for film.
In the 2023 Mario movie, Donkey Kong helped Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) stop Bowser. He also worked alongside his father, Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen). Whether this team will return for the new movie is still unknown.
This Donkey Kong movie joins two other major Nintendo film projects currently in the works:
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, planned for release in 2026, is being made by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination’s Chris Meledandri.
- The Legend of Zelda live-action movie, originally set for March 2027, has been moved to May 7, 2027. There are rumors that Euphoria star Hunter Schafer could play Princess Zelda, but the full cast has not been confirmed.
Nintendo’s movie world is growing quickly. Miyamoto has also said that he’s interested in making a Pikmin movie, since the game is loved in Japan and could do well worldwide.
For now, fans can stream The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Prime Video, and stay tuned for more updates on Donkey Kong’s big-screen adventure.