Nintendo is trying new things while it is back on top of the world. The gaming company announced that it will be working on a Mario movie with the company behind the polarizing 'Minions.'
Nintendo will be working with Illumination Entertainment, which has a proven track record with its Despicable Me, Minions, and The Secret Life of Pets animated films.
Super Mario Film Odyssey
In a world where video game adaptations sometimes fail to impress, Nintendo is trying to buck the trend by teaming up with a successful animated films studio.
Nintendo announced the deal through Twitter, saying it would be co-produced by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Despicable Me producer Chris Meledandri.
Illumination was in discussions with Nintendo for more than a year about making a Mario film, according to the Wall Street Journal. Illumination is owned by Universal, which made a deal with Nintendo two years ago to build attractions at its theme parks based on Mario and other Nintendo characters.
There were rumors of the deal back in November until Nintendo confirmed the rumors late Wednesday night. No other details about the film have been revealed yet, along with the release date. The deal is for one movie with the possibility for sequels.
Miyamoto says that the script is mostly finished.
Nintendo is coming off a successful year, with the Nintendo Switch captivating the video game market. It already outsold its previous console release, taking less than one year to achieve higher numbers than the Wii U in five years.
A Challenging Territory For Video Games
The last time that Nintendo tried putting Mario up on the big screen was with Super Mario Brothers. The film flopped hard with critics and the public. Not even the acting talents of Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper could save the movie.
Video games have had a notorious time trying to break into Hollywood. Almost every single video game has been unsuccessful in trying to break into the market. Such games include Warcraft, which that had massive success in China but not in the U.S., to Doom, Prince of Persia, and Assassin's Creed.
Other video game adaptations are headed to theaters, especially with the reboot of Tomb Raider to be released in March. Some franchises have done well. Resident Evil spawned multiple sequels and Angry Birds is getting a sequel in 2019. The six Resident Evil movies have made more than $1 billion.
