Nintendo Eyeing the Big Screen

Japanese video game giant Nintento is going to Hollywood by creating an in-house unit to develop animated features based on the numerous properties owned by the company behind the GameCube and Game Boy systems, reports Variety.

Nintendo consultant and former president Hiroshi Yamauchi has put together a plan for the company to get into film production. According to reports in the Japanese press, the plan calls for Nintendo to create a movie based on one of its own franchises for theatrical release in 2006.

If it adopts the plan, Nintendo would become the first video game company to establish a theatrical film production unit. The company previously licensed its "Pokemon" and "Super Mario Bros." games for feature films.