You can’t really blame Nintendo for taking so long to make another film based on their no. 1 I.P. Of course, I’m talking about Super Mario Bros., a gaming series that has lasted decades, with each new game seemingly breaking new ground in the 3D platforming genre (and that’s not even mentioning the myriad of spinoff games). Back in the ‘90s, the Big N made the mistake of creating a live-action adaptation of the games and…we all know what happened there.

That being said, I think many of us are totally on board with the idea of another movie coming out. Time has passed, and while video game movies haven’t exactly been huge hits, Mario himself seems better poised for a family film than many other franchises, one Blue Blur included. And we’re getting one!

Illumination Entertainment is hard at work on an adaptation after Nintendo refusing to allow their character to be utilized as such for decades. So, what changed? In a recent investor’s meeting, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto opened up on his current reasoning.

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“I was originally against Nintendo expanding into video-making, but am currently involved personally in using our company’s IP in film production; and the background behind this change is because Nintendo has re-released many games via Virtual Console.”

Okay, so what exactly does the Virtual Console have to do with this? It’s a great service that allows users to play older games on newer hardware such as Wii U and 3DS, but it wasn’t brought over to the Switch…so what does it have to do with movies?

Well, the service apparently made Miyamoto realize that the characters were their biggest assets, and in order to keep those assets alive, he thinks it’s important for their older games to be playable. Similarly, he started to think that turning them into movies is another way for them to have more longevity.

“Basically, it’s not that ‘I want to make a Mario movie’, but that I began to consider that ‘we should bring more Nintendo content into the field of video-making’,” he explained. “With films, the amount of people who would contact our IP would widen, and increase the amount of people engaging with our IP. Then, we’d be able to further increase the spread of our media via video.”

I think this is an especially telling quote. It sounds an awful lot like, “No, I don’t really want to do a movie, but I know a movie, if done well, will be good for the brand and ultimately drive more players to our games and help our bottom line.”

From what I can gather, Miyamoto doesn’t seem too thrilled with the idea, and given Nintendo’s gameplay-focused approach to video games, it’s easy to understand why. At their core, their interest isn’t in telling stories, but providing memorable gaming experience. This is in stark contrast with studios like Naughty Dog who, in addition to providing amazing gaming experience, also like to tell Hollywood-level stories.

So, what do you think? Does Miyamoto’s semi-lukewarm take on movies bum you out at all at the prospect of the eventual movie? I’m honestly the slightest bit surprised, especially since Miyamoto himself directed a series of charming Pikmin shorts in the past. I would have thought it would make him more enthused for a film.

What do you think of Miyamoto’s stance on the impending Mario movie? Let us know your thoughts down below! 

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SOURCE: IGN