Well. This is one of the weirdest things we’ve heard in a long time. If you’ve missed it, Sony Pictures – the company’s movie studio business – was recently hacked. The contents of what was obtained from the breach are still being sifted through, but according to a report on Buzzfeed, there’s a secret business deal in there that’s very interesting.
“I am the proud father of mario the animated film [sic],” producer Avi Arad told Sony studio chief Amy Pascal in an email dated Oct. 23, 2014, with the subject line “Mario.” Arad then forwarded Pascal separate images of him with Mario Bros.creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, the latter of which included the message, “Happy ceo, lets get together, it’s the mother load. [sic]”
The film, which the emails say will be animated, is only in the very earliest stages of production, with no personnel currently attached (though there are daydreams that Samurai Jack’s Genndy Tartakovsky might be tempted).
If the absurdity of this needs to be pointed out, Sony Pictures is part of Sony, the same company that makes the PlayStation, and which also developers a ton of its own video games. Yet the Buzzfeed report says they “could not find any emails in which anyone at Sony Pictures expressed concern about any conflicts with their video game corporate cousin Sony Computer Entertainment, which is a direct competitor with Nintendo.”
Before you go bananas, remember: just because Sony has the rights to this (the wording of the report makes it sound like Arad picked up the rights himself then brought them to studios) doesn’t mean it will get made. Most video game movies – hell, most movies – never make it from the handshake to the silver screen.
If this somehow did get anywhere though, it won’t be the first animated Mario movie. While most folks only remember the live-action disaster, a Japanese animated film was made in the 80s that…wasn’t bad.
In related news, Sega is also looking (via Polygon) to flesh out a number of its bigger franchises, hoping to turn stuff like Golden Axe, Shinobi, Virtua Fighter, Crazy Taxi and Altered Beast into movies and TV series.
Sony Pictures Lands “Mario Bros.” Movie Rights From Nintendo, Leaked Emails Show [Buzzfeed]
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9 responses to “Report: Sony Making Super Mario Bros Movie”
Oh man, this is nuts, in the most awesome way possible.
I suppose this isn’t that surprising though. Sony Playstation was pretty much the bi product of Nintendo deciding to go with Cartridge based games instead of teaming up with Sony to make CD based games back in the N64/Psone days.
I’m gonna pretend that was intentional, since it’s kind of clever 😛
This isn’t really all that strange. Sony is a bloody big company with a lot of different divisions that operate fairly independently of each other. I’m sure a lot of Sony offices are using Microsoft products like Windows and Office, too, despite the fact that they compete with MS in the console business. I’m pretty sure that games based on Sony movies have probably appeared on non Sony platforms over the years, too.
Not to mention the fact that Sony Pictures is desperately trying to stop pissing money out of every orifice. A Mario animated film would plug some of those leaks.
Not to mention the fact that Sony Pictures is desperately trying to stop pissing money out of every orifice. A Mario animated film would plug some of those leaks.
One company acquiring franchise right from another. That almost sounds like a mutual business agreement. Yep, really absurd.
Omg, did you know that Microsoft make onenote for iOS too? MADNESS!
Hang on, so they’ll make Altered Beast: The Movie. Which is actually a movie. So it’d be a movie about a movie being made about the game.
My head hurts. Also, AB sucks.
Also possible that they got the rights just to make sure it doesn’t get made, movie studios are dicks like that, let alone the interest that movie would give to sony’s competition