Seth Rogen isn’t a fan of ‘naked’ Donkey Kong

Seth Rogen isn’t a fan of ‘naked’ Donkey Kong
Illumination

Written by 

Tom Chapman

Published 

15th Jun 2023 15:27

As one of the shining stars of Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Seth Rogen is more than ready to beat his chest once again as Donkey Kong. Although the Superbad star clearly has an affinity with the role, he does have a small problem with 'naked' Donkey Kong.

Introduced in 1981's Donkey Kong (although later games claimed our DK is the grandson of the original), Donkey Kong has become one of Nintendo's best-known characters. Donkey Kong has led his own franchise of games, popped up in numerous other titles, and even had that wild Donkey Konga spin-off. 

Seth Rogen isn't a fan of 'naked' Donkey Kong

We've previously heard whispers of a Rogen-led Donkey Kong spin-off, but remember, we still haven't had official confirmation of a Mario Bros. Movie sequel. Still, Rogen has some ideas about where the character could go… and it's straight to the wardrobe.

Speaking in one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes on The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Rogen has a simple request for the sequel. "I would be thrilled to see Donkey Kong go on more adventures....maybe give him some pants this time."

We hadn't really thought about it, but apart from his signature tie, yep, Donkey Kong was pretty damn naked in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Come to think of it, there was a lot of nudity in that movie, with Bowser also opting to go without pants.

Discussing what it was like playing DK, Rogen explained, "I was given a lot of freedom to make the character my own… they generally told me that Donkey Kong was angry and yelling a lot, and so, most of the direction they gave me was to be angrier and to yell more.

What's next for the Mario Cinematic Universe?

Images of Donkey Kong
Click to enlarge
Nintendo | Illumination

Given The Super Mario Bros. Movie's record-breaking success, we don't need Chris Pratt to tease a sequel to guess another movie was on the way. Much like we've seen Universal spin out the Sonic franchise into its own cinematic universe - including the Knuckles series - fans expect the same for Nintendo.

Luigi actor Charlie Day has been vocal about a Luigi's Mansion spin-off, while Neill Blomkamp has thrown his hat into the ring for a Metroid movie. If all of that wasn't enough, how about those recent rumours Illumination will tackle a The Legend of Zelda movie next?

That's a lot to digest, but with Rogen clearly settling into his role as Donkey Kong, we're pretty sure we'll be seeing him again. Hopefully, he'll be a little more dressed this time around.

Tom Chapman
About the author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
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