That said, you definitely know his work. 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'. 'F-Zero'. 'Star Fox'. 'Donkey Kong'. Those L / R buttons on controllers. He actually invented those. His most well-known creation? 'Super Mario Bros.'
Speaking to Variety, Chris Meledandri of Illumination Studios confirmed Shigeru Miyamoto is being kept "front and center" in the creation and production of the upcoming animated movie based on 'Super Mario Bros.'
"I’ve rarely seen that happen with any adaptation where the original creative voice is being embraced like we’re embracing Miyamoto. There’s a history in Hollywood of people believing that they know better than the people responsible for a property. I’ve made that mistake before," Meledandri explained.
The movie is now said to be in "priority development" and will likely hit cinemas in 2022. However, no voice cast or screenwriter has been announced by Illumination. As Meledandri tells it, "(the) challenge is taking things that are so thin in their original form and finding depth that doesn’t compromise what generations of fans love about Mario, but also feels organic to the iconography and can support a three-act structure."
What's exciting about all this is that if 'Super Mario Bros.' is a success with critics and audiences alike, there's a distinct possibility that other Nintendo IPs could be turned into animated movies, such as 'The Legend of Zelda' or even 'Star Fox'. While 'Sonic the Hedgehog' is being turned into a live-action / CGI hybrid, video games movies have generally failed with audiences and critics alike.
Here's hoping 'Super Mario Bros.' is the one to buck the trend once and for all.