Everything we know about the rumored Donkey Kong movie
Who wants to go ape?
Hold on to your bananas —Donkey Kong could be coming to the silver screen. On October 6, The Hashtag Show posted a story claiming Universal Studios and Nintendo are developing an animated movie starring Donkey Kong. Neither Nintendo nor Universal have confirmed the report, but it wouldn’t be totally surprising if Mario’s animated film kicked off a Nintendo cinematic universe. Here’s what we know about the animated Donkey Kong film.
When is the Donkey Kong movie release date?
The rumored Donkey Kong movie does not yet have an official release date. Mario’s animated adventure is slated for December 21, 2022. If the report is accurate, the earliest we could reasonably expect to see another animated Nintendo feature is sometime in 2023.
That said, even if the Hashtag Show report is accurate, the Donkey Kong movie could still be several years away. Variety first reported that Illumination was making a Mario movie in November 2017, but Nintendo did not make an official announcement until September 2021.
Two King K. Rools.
Is there a trailer for the Donkey Kong movie?
Nintendo and Universal have not confirmed the movie exists, so there is not a trailer. The earliest we might see one is sometime after the Mario movie releases in late 2022.
In the meantime, please enjoy this song where a ghost offers DK a snowcone, from the shortlived 1996 animated series based on the Donkey Kong Country games.
What’s the Donkey Kong movie story?
Allegedly, the movie will follow Donkey Kong’s origins and ties into the beloved Donkey Kong Country games, initially released for the Super Nintendo in the 1990s. Presumably, this means it takes place prior to the animated Mario movie which features DK as a supporting character.
The Donkey Kong movie could tie into a Donkey Kong revival game rumored to be development by Nintendo EPD, the team behind Super Mario Odyssey, but that may turn out to be pure speculation. We’ll have to wait and see.
Who is in the Donkey Kong movie cast?
We don’t yet know the actors that will be featured in the Donkey Kong movie. The animated Mario movie includes Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Fred Armisen as Kranky Kong. The Hashtag Show could not confirm whether either actor would return for the standalone Donkey Kong movie.
In addition to DK and Cranky Kong, The Hashtag Show claims the film will feature most of the Kong crew. Diddy Kong, Candy Kong, Chunky Kong, Funky Kong, and King K. Rool are all expected to appear in the upcoming film. Dixie Kong, the sidekick of Donkey Kong Country 2 and main character of Donkey Kong Country 3, is notably absent from the current list.
The whole Donkey Kong family.
What studio is making the Donkey Kong movie?
Although Illumination is animating upcoming Mario movie, The Hashtag Show claims the studio isn’t connected to the Donkey Kong film.
Universal Studios could assign its in-house team, Universal Animation Studios to the project. Universal Animation Studios released Curious George: Cape Ahoy for NBC’s Peacock streaming service in September 2021, so they definitely have animated ape experience.
Will the Donkey Kong movie be on streaming?
The Hashtag Show report claims Donkey Kong animated film could be original programming for Peacock. Here’s what the post says:
“Universal Studio’s leadership is strongly pushing for films to be Peacock exclusives, bypassing theatres. While there was no definitive answer, either way, there seems to be strong interest at least in putting this on Peacock.”
The post goes on to speculate that Donkey Kong’s Peacock exclusivity could depend on the performance of other Peacock exclusive films, like Halloween Kills.
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