Super Mario Bros. star Anya Taylor-Joy wants a Zelda crossover movie

Watch: Anya Taylor-Joy shares dream for Nintendo crossover movie

Ever since Chris Pratt — who voices Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in cinemas 5 April — teased a shared movie universe comprising Nintendo video game titles and characters, fans have been keen to know what’s next.

And, in an interview with Yahoo UK, Princess Peach voice actor Anya Taylor-Joy has now revealed that she wants to see Nintendo’s hugely popular Hyrule-set action-adventure franchise make it to the big screen.

The Legend of Zelda made it to the small screen once before — as an animated series in 1989 — but it hasn’t been adapted since. With the number of games well into double figures, there’s plenty to draw from for a movie or several to be incorporated into a so-called NCU.

Read more: Seth Rogen pitches Donkey Kong spin-off

“I’ve never played it but [my partner] was just explaining it to me,” Taylor-Joy tells Yahoo UK. “My partner really loves Zelda, and I think Zelda would be really fun.

"I know that there’s a new game coming out [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom] because everyone’s very excited about it, and I’ve never played, so I’m kind of scared that I’m going to get destroyed.

"So, I think I’d want to know more about Zelda.”

She points out that her Super Mario Bros. Movie co-star Seth Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in the film, has a dog called Zelda, named after the princess from the video games. So, his first choice for a movie to follow Mario’s adventure would be a Zelda movie, too, right?

Wrong. Although he does confirm his dog is named Zelda after the Nintendo princess, and not the hideous female Imperial Queen of the planet Guk, also named Zelda, from Gerry Anderson’s 1980s puppet series Terrahawks. In case you were wondering. (“I would never name my dog after a hideous woman; my dog is named after a mythical princess.”)

No, his choice was a different Nintendo title.

“I've always liked Metroid,” says Rogen. “I always thought [protagonist Samus Aran] was a cool character. I'd like to see a Metroid movie.”

Read more: Who's who in The Super Mario Bros. Movie?

Which begs the question why? Apart from it being cool, of course.

“You act like it being cool is not a good enough reason,” says Rogen. “It's the best reason. I want it ‘cause it's cool... I view it as sort of an immersive space action film.

"A simple narrative, but kind of like a ‘The Raid in space’ movie.”

Metroid, like The Legend of Zelda, is another action-adventure game from Nintendo that has cinematic potential, with rich lore and a bounty hunter protagonist protecting the galaxy from Space Pirates and other forces.

But given that the Nintendo Cinematic Universe would have to connect its movies, how would a Metroid film crossover with Mario?

Rogen simply says, “In the post-credits sequence, we'd figure something out.”

Read more: How the first Mario film flopped but became a cult classic

Nintendo fans salivating at the prospect of an NCU can thank the Marvel gods not only for the shared universe blueprint but also for the modern post-credits sequence.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is released in UK cinemas on 5 April. Watch a trailer below.