The worlds of movies and video games have been overlapping with regularity in recent years, and more importantly, the numbers point to sustained success thus far. With the likes of Minecraft‘s success and the Street Fighter film being the latest example, it won’t be a surprise to see more adaptations come down the line. The latest rumours about a Donkey Kong movie make perfect sense then.
Internet sleuths have unearthed a May copyright filing that points to an untitled Donkey Kong movie project that Nintendo and Universal Pictures are heading up. With a key supporting role in the impressive Super Mario Bros. Movie previously, and a new game in Donkey Kong Bananza launching soon, the interest in the character will only get higher.
That should make fans of the giant gorilla happy, and the movie could only be the beginning. Several Super Nintendo World theme parks around the world will be adding a new themed area featuring the cast of characters from the games. Donkey Kong County can already be found in Japan, and the Florida park will follow suit later this year.
The Resurgence of Donkey Kong
It’s definitely interesting to see how the character has grown over the years, becoming one of the key mascots for Nintendo in the process. Since its debut in 1981, the hairy hero has starred in over 20 different titles. Aside from starring in mainline games with others like Diddy Kong, the central star has also been a massive part of ensemble games like Mario Kart World.
The hope is that Bananza catapults Kong back into the spotlight once more, redesign and all, and paves the way for more projects to come, including the movie. The film still does not have a title yet, which probably means it is still years away, but it is nice to have something to look forward to nonetheless.
In the meantime, we can all look forward to Donkey Kong Bananza, which releases on the Nintendo Switch 2 this July 17.
