The Super Mario Galaxy Movie‘s first trailer arrived days ago and, amidst all the fun and nods to other Nintendo games, I couldn’t help but notice one big character was missing. Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong was nowhere to be seen, despite having a heavy presence in the original movie. Not only that, but Rogen wants to continue voicing the character. All the while, though there have been rumors regarding a DK spinoff.
Very little has been reported about the alleged movie since this past summer but, now, a new rumor has me hopeful we’ll see it before too long. It would appear that an upcoming video game adaptation specifically for Donkey Kong is still in the works, and it might even have a release window.
The Donkey Kong Movie Is Allegedly In Development With A Release Window In Mind
Just on the heels of leaked footage from The Legend of Zelda film hitting the internet, a new rumor from insider MyTimeToShineHello provided an update on the status of the Donkey Kong movie. If the insider is to be believed, the film is already in development and is circling a release date somewhere on the 2028 schedule.
Assuming the rumor is true, that would be great news for Nintendo fans. Of course, with the notion that nothing changes on the movie schedule (and release dates are always shifting), fans would have three consecutive years where a Nintendo franchise has a movie in theaters. Right now, it’s officially known that 2026 will usher in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, while The Legend of Zelda while in 2027. Donkey Kong would be a wonderful addition to that release slate.
What Could A Donkey Kong Movie Be About?
While we can only speculate on the plot of the alleged Donkey Kong movie, I could imagine the narrative being loosely based on stories and characters that we’ve seen in the games. The Super Mario Bros. Movie featured beloved characters like Diddy, Dixie, Chunky, Funky, Cranky and even Swanky Kong, and there are even more characters to introduce beyond that.
I could also imagine the villain of a Donkey Kong movie being King K. Rool, who has long been the opponent of the Kong family ever since he stopped feuding with Mario in her first couple of games. The franchise has consistently revolved around DK and co. traveling the various areas on Kong Island and ridding areas of K. Rool and his minions, so I’d assume the movie would be more or less the same.
In truth, I could see this type of movie playing out the same way a Super Mario Bros. movie would, which might be why Nintendo and Universal might want to create some distance between the two movies. Of course, we’re deep in speculative territory at this point, as there hasn’t been any explicit confirmation at this time that the Donkey Kong movie even exists. If it does, however, I can’t wait to be first in line to get a ticket and hopefully be in the position to purchase a banana-shaped popcorn bucket.
Until then, I’ll continue to keep an eye out for updates and look forward to seeing The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in theaters on April 3rd. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a teaser for a Donkey Kong adventure in the post-credits. That’d surely be something that would bring a smile to my face.