A detail in The Super Mario Bros. Movie trailer explains how The Legend of Zelda and other Nintendo movies could happen. Given the massive size of Nintendo’s catalog of characters, it’s not impossible that more of its franchises will wind up with big-screen adaptations eventually. Mario is without a doubt Nintendo’s biggest property, but he’s obviously not the only protagonist in their library who could headline his own film.
From the looks of things, Nintendo and Illumination already plan to combine two of its franchises into one in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The worlds of Mario and Donkey Kong Country are confirmed to collide during the battle with Bowser. But since the two did debut together in 1981’s Donkey Kong before being taken in different directions, the decision does make sense. Depending on how the film performs at the box office, there’s a chance Nintendo will take a chance on even more of its heroes by giving them their own movies. But given how different Mario is from the other franchises, the movies may not exist in the same canon as The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Super Mario Bros. Trailer Sets Up A Nintendo Movie Universe
Interestingly, a reveal in The Super Mario Bros. Movie trailer actually makes it possible for stories like The Legend of Zelda to work in Mario’s world. At one point, Princess Peach mentions the different “galaxies” that are at risk in the movie. On the surface, this feels like a reference to Super Mario Galaxy, but the comment goes deeper than that. It opens the door for a fully-realized Nintendo movie universe where each of the “galaxies” hosts a world from another video game franchise. This allows characters like Mario and Link to share the same universe, even if their worlds remain separate.
If that’s true, Nintendo's The Super Mario Bros. Movie would have the tools it needs to feature surprise cameos from some unexpected heroes and villains. Possibly in a post-credits scene, the film could find ways to tease the existence of Link, thus laying the groundwork for a proper Legend of Zelda movie to happen later on down the road. And since they would coexist, there should be room for crossovers if such an opportunity ever presented itself.
Nintendo Franchises That Could Get Movies After Super Mario Bros.
In addition to The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo boasts several franchises that could occupy the “galaxies” brought up by Peach in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. There’s also Pokémon, Kirby, Metroid, and Star Fox. Movies centered on Kirby, Metroid’s Samus, and the spacefaring Fox McCloud have never been done before, but all three certainly have the potential for standalone films adjacent to Mario and Luigi's story. The unique worlds they live in and the cast of characters that go with them could help Nintendo and Illumination build a thriving cinematic universe for a slew of iconic video game heroes.