Nintendo has revealed its intentions to get into the movie business over the coming years.
Company CEO and president Tatsumi Kimishima has given an interview to Japanese publication Asahi Shimbun in which he outlines the company’s cinematic plans. He says that the video game giant wants to attain global success within five years with its fresh push into video production.
Of course, Nintendo has a short and unpleasant history with Hollywood, having endorsed the production of the truly disastrous Super Mario Bros. movie back in 1993. That movie ‘adaptation’ (we use the term loosely) starred everyone’s favourite pint-sized cockney, the late Bob Hoskins, as everyone’s favourite Italian-American plumber.
Suffice to say, it was no-one’s favourite film.
It seems Nintendo has learned its lesson from that ordeal – and its subsequent success with the Pokemon movies – and will likely steer clear of live action. The report claims that Nintendo could dip its toes into 3D animation, and is apparently in talks with films companies about possible collaborations.
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So will these films feature Nintendo’s leading mascot, Mario, or perhaps Link from the Legend of Zelda series?
“We’d like to use IP that is popular with everyone. I can’t say ‘it’ll be Mario’ — just that we’ll do things that people will be familiar with,” said Kimishima (via The Verge).
According to AP, it seems even Nintendo itself hasn’t decided whether we’ll be seeing these films in theatres, or whether they’ll go straight-to-DVD.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
