Nintendo president Tasumi Kimishima has revealed Nintendo’s plans to pursue film production in an interview with Japanese newspaper Asahi Shumbun. In response to a question about the company’s recent off-loading of its stake in the Seattle Mariners, Kimishima said they are investing in new opportunities for framing their intellectual properties, such as film production.
Kimishima didn’t provide many concrete details about the move, dancing around the issue a bit and offering up generalities in response to further questions. Here’s what we know so far.
They’re Doing It Themselves
When asked about the notoriously mediocre Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993, Kimishima pointed to its terrible box office performance. It seems they’ll be maintaining as much creative control as possible this time around. “From now on, we’d like to do things ourselves more than just license something,” Kimishima told Asahi Shumbun.
Nintendo Could Partner With Hollywood
When asked whether or not they had plans to partner with Hollywood, Kimishima said that it’s definitely on the table. They are most interested in working with somebody capable of distributing films on an international scale to capitalize on the company’s global reach.
It’s All About Pre-Existing Characters
Nintendo will be focusing on their “strong stable of IP,” likely via the production of 3D-animated movies. The Big N’s president said they want to “make something everyone can enjoy.” A potentially revealing exchange went as follows:
Asahi Shumbun: Well, if we’re talking movies, it seems like the Zelda series would be a good fit, considering how popular it is overseas.
Kimishima: Put that way, of course we understand that it’s something there’s a strong demand for.
Does this mean there might be a Zelda movie in our future? Zelda is definitely something everybody can enjoy. After last year’s rumor of a Netflix series piqued our collective interest, we’re definitely primed and ready for a film take on Hyrule.
Fandom will bring you more on this story as it develops!