In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the role of Donkey Kong is voiced by Seth Rogen. While nothing has been officially announced about a sequel yet, the movie made more than a billion dollars at the box office, making more Nintendo movies basically a guarantee. The animated film released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K earlier this week, and there are several special features, including a series of videos called “Getting to Know the Cast.” In one of these videos, Rogen discusses playing DK, stating that he would be “thrilled to see Donkey Kong go on more adventures.” However, the actor was quick to request that the studio “maybe give him some pants this time?”
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Donkey Kong plays a pivotal role. Mario must battle the son of Cranky Kong in order to convince the Kong army to join the Mushroom Kingdom in the battle against Bowser. Thanks to the Super Bell power-up, Mario is able to defeat DK, but the two characters remain antagonistic towards one another until the end of the film. In the feature, director Matthew Fogel reveals that Rogen did a lot of improv with his lines, and Rogen noted that a lot of the direction was to keep being “angrier and yell more.”
If Donkey Kong were to return in a sequel, or even a film of his own, it will be interesting to see if his temper gets pulled back a little. By the end of the movie, he’s hugging Mario and the rest of the heroes, and has earned the respect of his father, so he has a lot to be happy about. Of course, that temper could return if the Kremlings happened to steal his banana hoard, or just show up to cause havoc for the Jungle Kingdom. The Donkey Kong franchise has so many great characters and locations that could appear in a spin-off movie, so hopefully Universal, Illumination, and Nintendo will make it happen!
Are you happy to hear Rogen would like to play DK again? What did you think of his take on the character? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!