How Super Smash Bros. Could Finally Give Us A Path To A Metal Gear Solid Movie

Solid Snake in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
(Image credit: Nintendo)

When it comes to popular Nintendo games, especially if you’re talking about the multiplayer variety, Super Smash Bros. has been in a league of its own ever since Nintendo introduced the fighter back in 1999. Through multiple iterations on every generation of Nintendo console since the N64, it has brought in scores of characters. While the roster is mostly filled with Nintendo-owned staples, other iconic characters like Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid have joined the fight.

With all the recent talk of a Super Smash Bros. film ahead of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s premiere on the 2026 movie schedule, I’ve been thinking about Solid Snake and how a big-screen Smash could give us a path to a Metal Gear Solid movie. It’s a long shot, I know, especially after Shigeru Miyamoto’s comments on the matter, but can a fanboy geek out about seeing Snake in a movie?

The main roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

(Image credit: Nintendo)

There Are Definitely Obstacles, But It Could Work

With a Super Smash Bros. movie far from being confirmed and probably a ways off if things do come together, I think it could totally work, even with all the various obstacles. Between the comments I mentioned above regarding Nintendo and Illumination’s dodginess surrounding the issue, the various companies that would have to sign off on it, and everything else that goes into making a movie, there’s a lot to overcome.

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That being said, Wreck-It Ralph scored all kinds of video game characters and references (including Metal Gear Solid) when the Disney movie came out in 2012, which shows that companies like Nintendo and MGS’s publisher, Konami, are willing to play ball for big movies. It’d still be a headache, but with the right mindset and a good script, this could totally work. And I’m not just saying that because I’m obsessed with all things Solid Snake.

Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

(Image credit: Konami)

I’m Convinced The Live-Action MGS Movie Won’t Happen, So Why Not Go Animated?

Long, long ago, I wrote about the Metal Gear Solid movie languishing away in development hell, and things haven’t really changed since that article came out nearly six years ago. At this point, despite Oscar Isaac wanting to play Solid Snake, I don’t think this movie is ever going to happen. Since there’s been no progress on that front in years, an animated adaptation of the beloved tactical espionage action could be the best path forward.

If a Super Smash Bros. movie does end up happening, I would kill for Solid Snake to make an appearance and then get his own film franchise. I mean, just imagine some folks like the teams behind DreamWorks Animation titles like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish or The Bad Guys making a stylized movie set in Shadow Moses or other locations from the MGS series. The fight with Metal Gear Rex, the chaotic duel with Solidus Snake in Manhattan, or Solid Snake and Liquid Ocelot duking it out atop Outer Haven. I’ve got goosebumps!

Again, a Super Smash Bros. movie hasn’t been announced and remains a big uncertainty at this point in time. However, if it does show up on the list of upcoming video game movies, I’m going to lose my mind, especially if Solid Snake and his cardboard box are involved…

Philip Sledge
Content Writer

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.

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