Back in September, Nintendo stunned fans with the announcement of the voice cast for the Super Mario movie. While reception to the cast has been a bit mixed, Seth Rogen’s role as Donkey Kong seems to have been one of the most welcome announcements. Given the character’s popularity, it should come as little surprise that Universal is reportedly working on a Donkey Kong animated film, with Rogen reprising his role. The project was first reported by That Hashtag Show, with sources for Giant Freakin Robot also stating the project is in the works. The latter outlet assumes Fred Armisen will also reprise his role as Cranky Kong in the spin-off, but has not confirmed with its sources, at this time.
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Donkey Kong first appeared alongside Mario in the Donkey Kong arcade game, released in 1981. That game presented DK as a villain, but the franchise got a major reboot in 1994 with Donkey Kong Country. The Super Nintendo game and its sequels introduced players to an entire Kong family, as well as their enemies, the Kremlings. Those games have served as the inspiration for most of Donkey Kong’s interpretations in outside media, including an animated series, and the upcoming expansion for Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan. It’s too early to say what the Donkey Kong movie might focus on, but it’s hard to imagine that it wouldn’t be tied to Donkey Kong Country.
Readers are advised to take this report with a grain of salt until it’s confirmed by Nintendo, but Donkey Kong would make a lot of sense for Illumination’s next adaptation! Just as Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog movie ended with a post-credit scene introducing Tails, fans could see Diddy Kong similarly introduced in a post-credit scene for the Mario movie. Diddy Kong is one of the most beloved sidekicks in all of gaming, and his appearance would be a logical way to kick-off the events in a solo film. Perhaps the Kremlings will steal DK’s banana hoard, just as they did in the first Donkey Kong Country. It’s also possible DK Island could see an invasion from Tropical Freeze‘s Snowmads, who seem perfectly suited for an animated adaptation. There’s a lot of ways the spin-off could go, and a plethora of characters that could be introduced. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see!
Would you like to see an animated film starring the Kong family? Who do you think would work best as the villains in the film? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
