Donkey Kong Might Be Getting His Own Movie

Following the monumental success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it seems Nintendo and Universal are keen to expand on its new venture beyond the upcoming sequel in 2026.

As reported by Nintendo Everything, a new copyright filing has been spotted that is simply listed as ‘Untitled Donkey Kong Project ;Motion picture’. The date of recordation is 6th June 2025, with two dates listed as the execution: 9th May and 17th May 2025.

Now, are we absolutely sure that this relates to a new movie starring Donkey Kong? No. But given that it’s listed as a ‘motion picture’ and it’s from both Nintendo and Universal leads us to believe that maybe a spin-off starring DK is in very early pre-production (or if not pre-production, then early discussions, at least).

Nintendo currently has two movie projects officially in the works. The first is a direct sequel to the Mario Movie – rumoured to be titled ‘Super Mario World’ – scheduled for release on 3rd April 2026. The second is a Legend of Zelda live-action movie scheduled for release on 7th May 2027.

It’s likely, then, that if a Donkey Kong movie is indeed in the works, then we probably won’t be seeing it for a few years yet. Chances are, however, that Nintendo will be keen to retain the voice talent from the Mario Movie. Seth Rogan voiced DK himself and Fred Armisen voicing Cranky Kong.

It looks like we’re seeing the start of a ‘Mario Cinematic Universe’, folks – or ‘MCU’ for short. We’re certain that won’t cause any confusion… Maybe ‘Nintendo Cinematic Universe’ is better.