Nintendo President Hopeful for 2020 Super Mario Movie

After the Sony email hack of 2014, a whole bunch of information was leaked to the public: some of it interesting, some of it horrifying, a lot of it private stuff that really shouldn't have gotten out. But one of the more fascinating tidbits was the reveal that Nintendo was apparently in talks with Sony to produce a Super Mario movie: a surprising revelation for many, as Nintendo had become famously shy about movies after the disaster of 1993s live-action Super Mario. Bros.

The discussion got a bit more intense last year, when the rumor mill had churned out that Nintendo was in final talks with animation studio Illumination about making an animated Mario movie: the folks perhaps best known for Minions. Because Nintendo apparently has an allergy to good movie decisions.

Regardless, while nothing has been officially announced by the company, their president, Tatsumi Kimishima, actually talked about the movie when being interviewed by Japanese Newspaper Kyoto Shimbun, and told the reporter that they hope to come to an agreement with a partner soon, and then announce it soon afterwards, with the end goal being a movie released in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

That would be less than two years to make a movie, from the folks who are best known for turning screaming yellow mutants into the next big thing in children's cinema. And before that, they were the people behind the abominable The Lorax and The Secret Life of Pets. My hopes are not high.

That said, Illumination hasn't been finalized (however likely it may be) so its not impossible well get someone else. Anyone else. But then again, if Mario could team up with the Rabbids - gamings equivalent of the Minions - and come out with a great game, then who knows? Anythings possible... if unlikely.