There’s been a big discussion lately amongst Nintendo acolytes as to what franchise the big N should adapt next into a movie. The Legend of Zelda was a no-brainer after Super Mario Bros., but the question is, what’s after that?Some say Donkey Kong is the next obvious pick (Though, I think that’d be a terrible decision), and I’ve also heard that Star Fox seems like a nice next choice since Fox was in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I think the answer is quite simple - Splatoon should be the third franchise that Nintendo makes into a movie. Don’t believe me? Well, here’s why Splatoon is the perfect pick for Nintendo’s next movie after The Legend of Zelda. (Image credit: Nintendo)First Off, Splatoon Already Has Considerable Lore To Pull FromOne reason why I think Donkey Kong would be a bad choice for a movie is that the plots for most of his games have been paper-thin. Sure, the fairly recent Donkey Kong Bananza expanded upon what a Donkey Kong story could be, but in the past, most Donkey Kong game stories consisted of - Somebody stole DK’s bananas, and DK must get them back. Ditto for Star Fox. Besides the fun banter, there really isn't much of a story. Why do excess work concocting a narrative when Splatoon is right there, BRIMMING with lore? For those who don’t know, the world of Splatoon is actually post-apocalyptic (I’m serious!). Climate change has devastated the world, and from the ashes have risen the Inklings (the squid-like characters) and the Octolings (the octopus-like characters).The world is super colorful, but the story is pretty grim, and it’s told in several different ways, both in-game with single-player campaigns, and also in manga form. So, really, the game that looks like it would have the least amount of narrative probably has some of the most from Nintendo, just like Zelda and my sweet, beloved Metroid (which also deserves a movie!).(Image credit: Nintendo)It's Also A Fairly Modern Series That Is Immensely Popular WorldwideNintendo has so many different franchises, but the “newest” major one is Splatoon. Debuting on the fated Wii U back in 2015, the Splatoon series as a whole has sold over 30 million copies, with the latest game, Splatoon Raiders, being off to a good start when it comes to sales. Japan especially loves Splatoon. In fact, when I flew to Japan a couple of years ago (It was a whopping 26-hour flight there and back again), I learned just how huge Splatoon is over there, as advertising was on trains, walls, and really all over the place. In other words, Splatoon is popular NOW. It’s not a legacy series that was massive 30 years ago, but rather, a series that already has a presence with advertisements in front of movies and in YouTube videos. That’s why Nintendo should strike while the iron is hot and make a movie of it ASAP. It’s popular the world over with adults, and (most importantly) with kids, too!(Image credit: Nintendo)The Marketing Would Be So EasyLastly, the marketing would be SO easy for a Splatoon movie. It pretty much markets itself. The characters, for one thing, are very distinctive, and anybody who has never seen Splatoon before will likely look at those characters and say, “What ARE they?” since many of them look human…but not quite. Also, since it’s such a colorful series, I could already envision billboards splattered with brightly colored ink and smiling faces. Plus, with the release of Splatoon Raiders, I could see Nintendo timing a Splatoon movie with another side game, or with Splatoon 4. Seriously, I don’t know why I - or anybody else, really - has thought that any other series would be perfect for Nintendo to adapt other than Splatoon. Yes, Animal Crossing may be bigger, and sure, everybody at least KNOWS Donkey Kong. But, Splatoon is by far the best next choice after The Legend of Zelda, and I honestly don’t think it’s even close for anything else. So, let the Splatfest begin!