Sony Pictures has – or at least did have – its eyes set on acquiring the motion picture rights to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros., leaked emails posted by WikiLeaks have revealed.
Emails addressed to the former Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal seem to indicate the studio’s interest in the popular franchise.
One email from February 2014 described a “full court press” in relation to the series, plus a meeting with producer Avi Arad who planned to “meet with his Nintendo guy (who he has been courting for a couple of years) when he goes to Japan.”
Another email sent to Arad by Pascal talked about a November story relating to the imminent launch of the amiibo toy line, which she described as an “interesting bit on Smash Brothers”.
Other emails mentioned a “five year chase” to secure the film rights to a host of characters such as Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong.
Ars Technica had a good dig through the emails and found nothing to indicate the studio actually got close to making the Smash movie happen.
The site did uncover chat about attempts to get a Sonic The Hedgehog movie moving forward, but any such deal was complicated by SEGA’s reluctance to work with Columbia Pictures should it be acquired by a “competitor of theirs”.
Source: Ars Technica
