Glen Powell’s Star Fox Dream Helped Drive a Nintendo Movie Push
Glen Powell’s fandom for Star Fox isn’t new, but his vocal support helped put a spotlight on the idea of bringing Fox McCloud to the big screen. The actor and voice talent behind Fox in the Super Mario Galaxy project has long been a fan of Nintendo’s space-faring franchise, and he didn’t shy away from making his case for a Star Fox movie clear and persistent.
Powell’s outreach began after audiences got hooked on the Super Mario Bros. Movie. According to Illumination’s chief, Chris Meledandri, Powell “reached out after the first movie hit theaters to make his case for Star Fox to get the same treatment.” That passion, Meledandri noted, made Powell a natural fit for the Fox role once casting took shape, and it kept the Star Fox possibility in the conversation for a potential standalone project down the line.
How Powell’s push shaped the process is tied to broader conversations at Illumination. Meledandri described how, during production of the Mario film, the team began fielding enthusiastic calls from actors who wanted to be involved with Nintendo. He highlighted Powell as someone who carried “incredible conviction and passion,” which helped cement the idea that Star Fox could exist in a new cinematic chapter.
Powell’s longtime love for the franchise also intersected with Shigeru Miyamoto’s own interest. The Mario creator was involved in discussions about Fox appearing in the Mario Galaxy project, and Miyamoto reportedly welcomed the possibility of Fox making a surprise cameo. To keep the reveal under wraps, Meledandri said he asked Powell to keep the conversations confidential until the timing was right, underscoring how carefully the studio managed the surprise element.
The Star Fox franchise hasn’t had a major new entry since Star Fox Zero on the Wii U, fueling speculation that a new game could land on Nintendo platforms like a hypothetical Switch 2. While the Galaxy film’s Fox cameo fueled fan theories about an Avengers-style crossover universe, Miyamoto has downplayed the idea of a Nintendo Cinematic Universe where every character joins a single connected series. He suggested that such a sweeping, all-encompassing crossover isn’t likely, at least not in the same way as some fan theories propose.
With Powell’s advocacy and Miyamoto’s openness, the Star Fox question remains alive but unresolved. A standalone Star Fox movie could still be in the cards, depending on performance, timing, and the broader direction Nintendo and Illumination choose to pursue. For now, Fox’s surprise appearance in the Mario Galaxy project stands as a notable hint that more Nintendo crossovers could be possible—without promising a full-blown, Avengers-style shared universe.