Chris Pratt Says The Super Mario Bros. Movie Could Lead to "Nintendo Cinematic Universe"
Will Illumination and Universal build up to a Super Smash Bros. movie?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a massive success story in 2023, and just might have been the most profitable movie released last year. The film's conclusion set the stage for a sequel, and it's slated to come out on April 3, 2026. We already have a couple of hints about what the next movie will bring, but Mario voice actor Chris Pratt already seems to be thinking further ahead. In an interview with Screen Rant, Pratt shared his enthusiasm for a possible "Nintendo cinematic universe," bringing together many of the company's beloved characters.
"Oh, man! There's so much to explore. There are decades worth of [games] to explore, not only with Mario and Peach and Donkey Kong and Luigi and Bowser and Yoshi; that was teased at the end. But it just gets me so excited," Pratt told Screen Rant. "I was such a Nintendo head growing up, so just thinking about how everything from Legend of Zelda to the entire Nintendo cinematic universe could be created and what that could look like for all of these characters that I love? I mean, there's really no limit. We could talk about it for hours."
Would Link be Off-Limits?
Pratt specifically mentions Zelda, but it's hard to say how plausible that is; The Super Mario Bros. Movie was produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal, while a live-action Zelda is currently in the works over at Sony. At this time, we don't know about any restrictions related to that agreement, and if it would lead to legal headaches for crossovers. It's also possible Nintendo and Sony would simply prefer not to have Link appear, given the tonal difference between the Zelda and Mario franchises.
All of that means Link might be left out of the equation for a connected universe. However, Nintendo has plenty of other franchises that could appear in a crossover film, including Star Fox, Metroid, and Splatoon. Of course, many of these characters have appeared in games with Mario as part of the Super Smash Bros. series.
Will There be a Super Smash Bros. Movie?
Pratt is hardly the first person to bring up the possibility of a Nintendo cinematic universe. Back in 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler told ComicBook that "nothing would make me happier than to just throw all the characters into a battle royale and do a big Smash Bros. thing." That would also likely face a lot of legal obstacles given that Sonic is owned by Sega, and Paramount produces the movies.
More recently, leaker Daniel Richtman claimed that Illumination is in the process of pitching Nintendo on a Super Smash Bros. movie. It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will embrace that idea, but if any company has the stable of franchises that could support a big, interconnected universe, it's Nintendo!
Would you like to see a Nintendo cinematic universe? Do you think Universal can make it happen? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
