Nintendo president outlines plans for more films beyond Mario and Zelda, open to anime

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa says company plans films after Mario and Zelda, not ruling out anime projects

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has said the company intends to continue developing films beyond its current Mario and Zelda projects and has not ruled out producing anime in the future.

His comments underline Nintendo’s longer-term strategy to expand its characters beyond video games through film and animation.

Speaking to Kyoto Shimbun, Furukawa discussed the upcoming The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, due for release in April, and the live-action The Legend of Zelda, which is scheduled to arrive in cinemas in 2027.

He said Nintendo applies the same philosophy to films as it does to games, remaining closely involved from the earliest planning stages and maintaining creative control throughout production.

“Through this consistent approach, we gradually earn customer trust, which ultimately leads not just to awareness of our characters, but ultimately turns them into fans,” Furukawa said, according to translations.

Following the global success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, Furukawa stressed that Nintendo is not focused solely on short-term returns.

“While we certainly don’t ignore short-term profits, our main focus is increasing character exposure beyond our games. Films allow us to reach people even in regions where game consoles are not yet widespread,” he said.

Furukawa added that Nintendo wants to “build a structure” that allows it to continue producing films well beyond Mario and Zelda. His remarks have fuelled ongoing fan interest in seeing other Nintendo franchises adapted for the screen, including Star Fox, Animal Crossing, Donkey Kong and F-Zero.

Interest from filmmakers has already been public. Director Chris Stuckmann has previously said he would like to make a Metroid film, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler has expressed interest in a crossover project inspired by Super Smash Bros.

Beyond cinema releases, Furukawa acknowledged calls from fans for Nintendo-produced anime. However, he said such projects would be difficult to realise, adding, “I think it would be quite challenging to get to that point. If we can create works uniquely Nintendo, it’d be good in the future.”