Chris Pratt has teased a Nintendo cinematic universe for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, but this project faces a huge franchise problem based on another $30 billion crossover franchise. A Nintendo crossover franchise has a lot of potential, as the video game company owns some of the most popular gaming series of all time, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, and more. However, the Nintendo cinematic universe does have one massive hurdle, something that it has to deal with after The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.
Chris Pratt’s teased Nintendo cinematic universe is incredibly exciting for fans, with him discussing how future films could culminate in a cinematic universe made up of some of Nintendo’s most popular franchises. This cinematic universe was kicked off by The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which already has a sequel in the works. Nintendo is also already working on a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie, hinting that the company wants to expand even more franchises into film. Tons of video games could enter this cinematic universe, although there is one major problem.
When discussing the upcoming sequel The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Chris Pratt expressed his excitement for the future of a Nintendo cinematic universe, something that fans have been wanting since the announcement of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Cinematic universes are all the rage in Hollywood these days, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe being the most iconic example, with it having brought together many of Marvel’s most beloved characters. Thus, Pratt’s excitement in Nintendo’s potential to do this could be a sign of the company’s future plans.
Crossovers have always been a major part of Nintendo, with the Super Smash Bros. video game series being one fo the most iconic crossover properties of all time. A Nintendo shared universe culminating in a Super Smash Bros. movie is the dream for many Nintendo fans, and Pratt’s comments combined with the future of The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 and The Legend of Zelda movie could mean that this project is finally on the way. However, it will be impossible to truly pull off the Super Smash Bros. franchise in film.
A Nintendo cinematic universe would require synergy between a ton of different franchises, and this will be incredibly difficult, as has been shown by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When the MCU first started, properties like Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four couldn’t be used due to the movie rights for these projects being shared with other studios. While these properties are now finally joining the MCU, the shared Spider-Man rights still present a problem, showing how many hoops the MCU has to jump through to use Peter Parker.
The Super Smash Bros. franchise features video game properties fully owned by entirely different companies, meaning that this will be even harder to pull off than Marvel’s already difficult superhero rights. Franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, and Street Fighter have rights deals for the game that would make putting them in movies incredibly difficult. However, a Super Smash Bros. movie just wouldn’t feel right without Sonic, Snake, Cloud, or Ryu, which is why this problem would have to be fixed before a Nintendo cinematic universe could work.
If a Nintendo cinematic universe is going to work, then Nintendo is going to have to go back to its crossover roots. Third-party characters have been a staple of Super Smash Bros. since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but Nintendo could avoid this problem entirely if it simply used the Nintendo 64 Super Smash Bros. game as a starting off point. This would mean that Nintendo only has to deal with its first-party franchises, with the cinematic universe focusing on Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero, and Mother.
This would also be a good idea from a story structure perspective, as it would mean that Nintendo crossover movies could focus on fewer characters. This is why The Avengers started off with a small roster before featuring all kinds of characters in Avengers: Endgame, as the MCU had to build up to it. Thus, the first Nintendo crossover projects could feature Mario, Link, and a few others, with later movies expanding out to the roster seen in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, this is still a long way away from The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.