The momentum behind both The Super Mario Bros. movies didn’t just give Nintendo a billion-dollar win; it basically opened the floodgates. With a live-action The Legend of Zelda adaptation on the way, recent reports suggest that Nintendo is currently pitching a live-action Metroid movie. According to leaker thevscooper on X, both Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures are reportedly in a heated race to ‘win the rights’ for the film.
The vscooper added that both studios are particularly interested in a live-action adaptation, although that could still change depending on how negotiations play out. Universal is also said to be pushing hard not just for Metroid, but for the rights for more Nintendo properties while it’s at it.
Details remain scarce, but the idea of Metroid jumping onto the big screen feels like a no-brainer. The franchise, led by the no-nonsense female bounty hunter Samus Aran, has long carried that ‘cinematic’ DNA. Many fans compared it to films like Alien and The Thing, thanks to its blend of eerie mood, sci-fi biological horror, and heart-pounding action. While there’s no way the project pushes past a PG-13 rating, a live-action Metroid could easily be Nintendo’s mature counterpart to its typically family-friendly lineup.
But Metroid might just be one piece of a much bigger puzzle. Another report from MyTimeToShineHello also outlines a much bigger roadmap for Nintendo’s multimedia ambitions. A Donkey Kong movie is said to be deep in development with a tentative 2028 release window, while work has reportedly begun on the third Mario Movie for 2029. Bowser’s voice, Jack Black himself, has joked that the movie could be a tri-yearly release at this point.
Further ahead, a Star Fox movie could launch in 2030 after its Super Mario Galaxy Movie cameo. Meanwhile, projects like Kirby and Yoshi’s Island are still in early stages, and Luigi’s Mansion and a full-length Pikmin movie are said to be actively searching for writers. Big chance that the latter will be once again co-developed with Universal’s subsidiary, Illumination.
Nintendo is also reportedly exploring stories centered on Bowser and a Princess Peach & Rosalina spin-offs. Interestingly, despite Shigeru Miyamoto saying ‘no’ to a Super Smash Bros. movie for now, it is currently being planned internally. Although it all seems to depend on how the Star Fox project performs.
Of course, at the moment, it’s all hearsay. But if even part of this slate materializes, Nintendo could be on track to build something far bigger than the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
