A new report suggests that Nintendo is currently working on two Mario movies. Nintendo recently pulled the tarp on the upcoming Mario Movie sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, revealing a first tease at the star-faring adventure audiences are about to go on. However, that does not seem to be the only cinematic project the video game giant is working on set in the Mushroom Kingdom.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Nintendo and Universal are actively working on a Donkey Kong movie, assumed to take place in the same universe as The Super Mario Movie. Seth Rogen played the iconic video game ape in the first Mario film but was notably absent during the recent cast announcement of its 2026 sequel. Donkey Kong's absence from the Mario Movie 2 reveal may have been because there are bigger plans for the character on the silver screen.
In July 2025, a copyright was discovered for an "Untitled Donkey Kong Motion Picture" registered to Nintendo and Universal, supporting Richtman's Donkey Kong movie report. This all comes after a rumor from Nintendo insider Zippo, which circulated more than four years ago, suggesting that Nintendo was eyeing the tie-wearing ape to lead his own film.
Nintendo's only other announced movie outside of The Mario Galaxy Movie is the live-action Legend of Zelda film it is working on with Sony Pictures and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball. Still, that project seems to exist entirely separate from the company's endeavors with Universal and animation studio Illumination Entertainment.
No Donkey Kong movie has been officially announced as of yet, but it seems like one may be on the horizon. The next Nintendo movie will be released in the form of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, scheduled for release on April 3, 2026. The upcoming animated sequel will follow its titular mustachioed hero (played by Chris Pratt) as he ventures into the cosmos, encountering new friends and foes from across Nintendo lore.
How Likely Is a Donkey Kong Movie?
There has long been talk about future movies set within the Mario Movie universe, with names like Donkey Kong (DK) and Luigi being thrown around as potential candidates for solo spin-offs.
The world of DK makes a lot of sense for a big-screen treatment. Outside of the central Mushroom Kingdom, the Kong Kingdom was one of the only Nintendo universe locales to get the spotlight in the first Mario Movie.
After The Super Mario Movie made over $1 billion at the global box office, and Donkey Kong has become a theme park staple with Universal's new Nintendo ventures, a DK movie feels like a matter of time.
This could explore the entire Kong family, bringing names like Diddy, Dixie, and Lanky into the equation for the first time (outside of a few silent cameos in The Super Mario Movie).
It could also pay homage to the character's storied legacy at Nintendo, reproduce the Donkey Kong franchise's epic soundtrack, and introduce series villains like the scaled King K. Rool.
