As people debate whether the superhero movie age is coming to a close, Hollywood has set its sights on a new intellectual property frontier: the video game. There have already been several high-profile successes this year alone, ranging from massive corporate endeavors like the recent Mortal Kombat 2 to smaller independent adaptations like Markiplier’s shockingly profitable Iron Lung. Looking towards the future makes it clear just how obsessed studios are with bringing games to life: in just the next few years, we can expect a live-action Elden Ring movie, adaptations of both Call of Duty and Battlefield, and a take on Hideo Kojima’s long-thought-unfilmable Metal Gear Solid.
Of all the major players who have benefited from Hollywood’s attention turning towards consoles, Nintendo is undoubtedly one of the biggest winners. 2021’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a billion-dollar hit at the box office, and this year’s sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, has almost crossed that threshold as well. While there’s speculation floating about as to whether we’ll see Glen Powell’s version of Star-Fox in his own spin-off, there’s a separate Nintendo property fast approaching theaters, and it’ll be arriving sooner than you expected.
