Let's be real for a second. Everyone wants it. You want it, I want it, and the shareholders at Nintendo definitely want those Avengers-level box office numbers. But making a Super Smash Bros the movie isn't just a matter of throwing Mario and Link into a blender and hitting "liquefy." It is a licensing nightmare that would make most Hollywood lawyers want to retire to a remote island with no internet access.
People have been screaming for a cinematic universe since the first Super Mario Bros. Movie crushed records in 2023. It made over $1.3 billion. That's "change the entire strategy of the company" money. Naturally, the conversation shifted immediately to the "Nintendo Cinematic Universe" (NCU). If Marvel could do it with a B-list character like Iron Man back in 2008, why can’t Nintendo do it with the most recognizable faces on the planet?
The reality is complicated. Really complicated.
The Masahiro Sakurai Problem
You can't talk about Smash without talking about its creator, Masahiro Sakurai. He’s the guy who basically willed this franchise into existence through sheer workaholism and a borderline obsessive attention to detail. In the games, every character feels "right" because Sakurai and his team painstakingly tuned their physics, their sound effects, and their "vibe" to match their home series.
Translating that to a Super Smash Bros the movie is a different beast entirely. In a game, you don't need a complex narrative reason for why Kirby is fighting a space dragon like Ridley. You just press start. In a two-hour film? You need a script. You need stakes.
Honestly, the biggest hurdle isn't the animation. It's the tone. How do you balance the whimsical, slapstick nature of Animal Crossing's Villager with the gritty, high-stakes sci-fi of Metroid? If you lean too hard into one, the other feels out of place. It’s the "Space Jam" dilemma but with characters people actually have deep emotional connections to.
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The Licensing Jungle
Nintendo doesn't own everyone in Smash. That’s the secret sauce of the games, but it’s the poison pill for a film. Think about the third-party characters.
- Sega: Sonic is already a massive movie star at Paramount.
- Square Enix: Cloud and Sephiroth are notoriously difficult to license even for games.
- Disney: Sora is in Smash. Getting Disney to play nice with Universal (Illumination’s parent company) is like trying to get a cat and a dog to co-author a cookbook.
Without these characters, is it really a "Smash Bros" movie? Or is it just "Nintendo All-Stars"? Fans are picky. If Joker from Persona 5 or Snake from Metal Gear is missing, the internet will let you know. Loudly.
What we actually know about Nintendo's film plans
Right now, Nintendo is playing their cards extremely close to their chest. Shigeru Miyamoto has officially confirmed a live-action Legend of Zelda movie is in development with Sony and director Wes Ball. We also know a sequel to the Mario movie is coming in 2026.
This tells us something very specific about the potential for Super Smash Bros the movie. Nintendo is building the pillars first. They aren't rushing into a crossover. They learned from the mistakes of the DC Extended Universe—you can’t just jump to the big team-up without making people care about the individual worlds first.
Chris Meledandri, the CEO of Illumination and a member of Nintendo’s board, has talked about the "special relationship" between the two companies. This isn't a standard licensing deal. Nintendo has creative control. That means they won't greenlight a Smash movie until they find a "hook" that doesn't ruin their brand.
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The World of Light approach
If they do it, they have a blueprint: World of Light.
That’s the adventure mode from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It starts with a cosmic catastrophe where everyone except Kirby gets vaporized. It’s simple. It’s visual. It gives a reason for the characters to be together without needing forty minutes of boring exposition.
I’ve seen some theories online suggesting the "movie" shouldn't be a movie at all, but an event. Maybe a limited series? But let's be honest, Nintendo loves the big screen. They love the prestige.
Why a Smash movie might actually be a bad idea (for now)
High risk. High reward.
If you mess up Mario, you hurt one franchise. If you mess up a Super Smash Bros the movie, you potentially tarnish every single IP involved.
There’s also the issue of the "Multiverse" fatigue. Audiences are a bit tired of seeing portals opening in the sky and characters from different dimensions pointing at each other. By the time a Smash movie could actually be released—likely not before 2028 or 2029—the whole "crossover" trend might be dead in the water.
Nintendo knows this. They are the masters of "Blue Ocean" strategy—doing the thing no one else is doing. Maybe the Smash movie isn't a fighting movie. Maybe it’s a comedy? Or a high-concept meta-commentary on toys coming to life, similar to the original N64 intro?
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Making the "NCU" work
To get to a crossover that feels earned, Nintendo has to nail the next three years.
- The Mario Sequel (2026): Needs to expand the world beyond the Mushroom Kingdom. Introduce Yoshi properly. Maybe tease the existence of other lands.
- The Legend of Zelda: Needs to prove Nintendo can do "serious" and "live-action" without it being cringey.
- The Wildcard: We need a third pillar. Donkey Kong? Metroid? Star Fox?
Once those are established, the path to Super Smash Bros the movie becomes much clearer. You don't need to explain who Link is; the audience already saw his solo movie two years ago.
What you can actually do while waiting
Since a theatrical release is still years away, the best way to track the "Smash-ification" of the Nintendo movies is to look at the Easter eggs. The first Mario movie was littered with them. From the "Punch-Out" pizzeria to the Star Fox Arwing model in Mario's room, the breadcrumbs are there.
Keep an eye on these specific developments:
- Voice Casting: Watch for who gets cast in the Zelda movie. If the tone is wildly different from Chris Pratt's Mario, a crossover becomes harder to pull off.
- The "Nintendo Museum" and Universal Parks: Nintendo is using Super Nintendo World to test how these IPs interact in physical space. The "Donkey Kong Country" expansion is the first real test of blending two "different" worlds.
- Corporate Earnings Calls: This sounds boring, but it's where Nintendo actually talks about their "Visual Content" pipeline. Look for mentions of "IP utilization."
The dream of seeing Link, Samus, and Mario on one poster is alive, but it's a marathon, not a sprint. Nintendo is terrified of repeating the 1993 live-action Mario disaster. They will take their time. They will be meticulous. And honestly? We should be happy about that. A rushed Smash movie would be a disaster. A planned one could be the biggest cinematic event of the decade.
Your Next Steps for Tracking the NCU:
- Audit the Mario Movie sequel news: Every time a new character is announced (like Rosalina or Daisy), it increases the roster for a potential Smash film.
- Follow Wes Ball’s production notes on Zelda: The art style of this movie will dictate if a crossover is animated, live-action, or a Roger Rabbit style hybrid.
- Watch the "Smash" trademark filings: Nintendo occasionally updates trademarks for "entertainment services" (movies/TV) specifically related to the Smash Bros brand, rather than just the individual characters.
The roadmap is being built in real-time. Just don't expect a trailer tomorrow.