Nintendo Has Filed a Copyright Notice for an 'Untitled Donkey Kong Motion Picture'

Nintendo has filed a copyright announcement for an unannounced Donkey Kong film, successful collaboration with Universal Pictures.

The filing, for a "Untitled Donkey Kong Project; Motion Picture" lists Nintendo Studios LLC arsenic the copyright holder, alongside Universal Pictures.

Nintendo Studios is of people Nintendo's ain in-house limb dedicated to turning its ain franchises into large surface hits, portion Universal Pictures is Nintendo's animation spouse (through its Minions-making Illumination studio) down the container bureau breaking Super Mario Bros. Movie.

There person agelong been rumblings of a Donkey Kong-starring spin-off to Nintendo's large surface Mario blockbuster, though it's believed that the adjacent Mario movie is much of a consecutive sequel — and reportedly titled Super Mario World.

So, what's this? Fans deliberation that the filing, primitively lodged successful May this year, points to a further task owed retired aft Nintendo's adjacent main Mario film. And immoderate are adjacent speculating that this is the commencement of a Nintendo Cinematic Universe, with assorted stars getting their ain solo movies portion being portion of the aforesaid franchise.

The quality comes conscionable days earlier the motorboat of Nintendo's large caller Nintendo Switch 2 release, Donkey Kong Bananaza. With a much cinematic absorption and hints that this crippled mightiness connection much of a storyline, could the Donkey Kong movie nexus into elements of its narrative?

Nintendo Studios and Universal Pictures' Untitled Donkey Kong Project filing.

For now, Nintendo is keeping quiescent astir overmuch its large surface plans (which besides see a separate, live-action accumulation to accommodate The Legend of Zelda). But we did precocious get a little update connected the adjacent Super Mario Bros. film, which is acceptable to motorboat connected April 3, 2026.

"We person reached a constituent wherever we are assured that the caller movie volition beryllium an entertaining film, truthful we person announced its theatrical merchandise for adjacent spring," Nintendo fable Shigeru Miyamoto said of the upcoming 2nd Mario Bros. movie, during past month's Nintendo investors Q&A.

"We bash not privation to acceptable a merchandise day archetypal and past unit the accumulation docket to conscionable it. This is akin to crippled development; we privation to merchandise thing that we are assured volition fulfill our consumers. I ever archer our teams to 'work for the consumer, not for your boss'."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social