Seth Rogen Getting His Own Donkey Kong Movie?
Seth Rogen's Donkey Kong may be getting a spin-off thanks to the success of Super Mario Bros.
After the development of Seth Rogen‘s Donkey Kong character in The Super Mario Bos Movie, there is a case to be made that the giant ape could get a film of his own. Comic Book Resource has speculated recently about the intriguing possibility of a spin-off for Kong, who has been given new depth and complexity in this treatment and is a standout in the movie. After all, the original Donkey Kong video game is where Mario got his start, so it only makes sense that Kong could now get his own movie based on Mario’s success.
Bringing Seth Rogen back as Donkey Kong would be a lot of fun, and viewers can easily make the case that there is enough material available in the Mario film to give Kong the movie treatment he deserves. And anyway, Rogen isn’t busy with the Green Hornet reboot, so why not? King of Kong is a great documentary, but it’s hardly everything the greatest ape in gaming history should have going for him on the big screen.
The only problem we can see for Seth Rogen in this scenario is that his voice acting as Donkey Kong has been criticized by fans because he did not alter his voice for the character in any way. But this was only the latest in a long string of changes to Kong’s voice over the decades across multiple video games and animated television appearances, so it’s not as though the filmmakers took a well-established, classic voice and randomly replaced it with that of a Hollywood actor who sounds completely different. They saved that for Mario.
In any case, Seth Rogen’s performance and The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s characterization of Donkey Kong has left us with an interesting character we’d like to see more of. The son of Cranky Kong, Donkey is the prince of Kong Kingdom, and, like most royal offspring, he has relatable father issues. In fact, they are relatable for Mario, which is what causes the pair to form a bond in the film.
Seth Rogen sounds like a cartoon character anyway, and his voice suits Donkey Kong well, helping bring the iconic ape to colorful new life. And so many Kong characters are present in the film, including Diddy and Kiddy, that it further whets the appetite for a movie set in Kong Kingdom. For his part, the former Freaks and Geeks star would probably be up to return as he seems to have enjoyed making The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
We’d love to see Seth Rogen return as Donkey Kong, even in a video game, but there is so much room to play in the universe of the movie. Perhaps Kong could show his ability to be an heir to the throne of Kong Kingdom or go off on a wild adventure Donkey Kong Country-style. Whatever the angle, there’s a long history, global appeal, and the introduction of never-before-seen depth and dimension in this version of the character that would make us say “Wah-hoo!” to a spin-off.
