Nintendo and Illumination Reportedly Developing Donkey Kong Movie: Release Details and Game Updates

• Source: KiwiTalkz (Retro Studios Insider)
• Rumor Confidence: High
• Key Subject: Animated Donkey Kong Movie
• Collaborators: Nintendo & Illumination

The Expansion of the Nintendo Cinematic Universe

Nintendo is clearly no longer content with just dominating the console space. Following the massive box office numbers from their partnership with Illumination, the rumor mill is spinning up again. High-profile insider KiwiTalkz has backed reports that an animated Donkey Kong movie is officially in the works. We’ve seen how well the "Super Mario Bros. Movie" performed, and with a "Super Mario Galaxy Movie" also reportedly on the horizon, giving the leader of the DK Crew his own spotlight is a no-brainer for the Big N.

Retro Studios and the Gaming Pipeline

While the movie news is the headline grabber, the state of the actual Donkey Kong Country games is a bit more complicated. According to KiwiTalkz, Retro Studios—the team that knocked it out of the park with Tropical Freeze—is likely not the lead developer on the next 2D Donkey Kong project. This might sting for fans who were hoping for a direct Retro-helmed sequel, but the insider did drop a hint that "something" is currently in the pipeline. Whether that’s a new developer taking the reins or a different style of DK project remains to be seen, but we believe Nintendo won't let one of their most iconic IPs sit on the shelf for too long while the movie hype builds.

Our Take: A Calculated Media Blitz

This strategy looks familiar. Nintendo is mirroring the classic Disney playbook by aligning major theatrical releases with their software cycles. If a Donkey Kong movie is indeed "unleashed" in the near future, you can bet your bottom banana that a game release will be timed to maximize that cross-media synergy. Even if Retro Studios isn't at the helm of the 2D platformer, the fact that an insider of this caliber is confirming activity suggests that the ape is finally coming out of retirement. We expect more concrete details to drop as Nintendo continues to flesh out its post-Mario movie roadmap.