Summary

• Sylvester Stallone as Chunky Kong would be a perfect choice for his tough guy persona and voice talent showcased in previous animated features.
• Owen Wilson's easy-going and charismatic personality would be a great fit for the laid-back character of Funky Kong.
• Mark Hamill's ability to be expressive and sinister, as demonstrated by his iconic voice work as the Joker, would make him an excellent choice for the menacing King K. Rool.

Following the major success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie a spin-off film focusing on Donkey Kong feels like an obvious next step for the potential franchise, and in doing so plenty of new voice roles will need to be cast. The Donkey Kong game series is full of eccentric and exciting characters who could be brought to life on the big screen by some of the best actors and voice talents working today. In compiling a dream cast list for a Donkey Kong movie many respected and talented names come to mind.

While actors from The Super Mario Bros. Movie are likely to reprise their roles for a Donkey Kong movie, such as Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong and Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, there are still lots of other important parts to be cast. A Donkey Kong movie provides the opportunity for Mario and Luigi to also reappear but just as important is the extended Kong family, Donkey Kong’s archnemesis, and even surprise appearances from characters left out of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. There are lots of actors who would be perfect for a possible Donkey Kong spin-off movie.

10 Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone voicing Chunky Kong

As the biggest and strongest member of the Kong family after Donkey Kong himself, it only made sense that the voice of Chunky Kong should be an actor known for their tough guy persona and likability. Sylvester Stallone expertly met all these criteria as his reputation as Rocky Balboa and John Rambo made him an iconic action star, and his voice work in Antz and Ratchet & Clank showcased his talent for animated features. In Donkey Kong 64, Chunky spoke in the third person and did not come across as very bright much like other characters previously played by Stallone.

9 Owen Wilson

Owen Wilson voicing Funky Kong

The easy-going surfer style of Funky Kong needed an equally laid-back and charismatic actor to take up the role in a potential Donkey Kong movie. Owen Wilson would be the perfect candidate as the skilled mechanic and expert inventor that is Funky Kong. Having solidified a reputation for portraying cool protagonists who said “wow” a lot and having already led his own animated series as the voice of Lightening McQueen in Cars, Wilson would add an everyman likability to the character of Funky Kong.

8 Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill voicing King K. Rool

Donkey Kong’s main adversary King K. Rool needed to be portrayed by an actor with the ability to be both expressive and sinister and nobody can juggle those two skills better than Mark Hamill. While most prominently known as the Jedi hero Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, Hamill was also responsible for some of the best voice acting of all time as Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. If Hamill was to voice King K. Rool he could bring the same manic energy and menacing mayhem that he used playing Joker to Donkey Kong’s crocodilian archnemesis.

7 Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson voicing Candy Kong

As Donkey Kong’s main love interest, Candy Kong would bring needed female energy to a potential Donkey Kong movie and as such should be portrayed by an actress with a recognizable voice. Scarlett Johansson proved her skill at delivering incredible performances with just her voice alone as the artificial assistant Samantha in Spike Lee’s Her. This skill for voice acting and Johansson’s reputation for portraying powerful women would help subvert Candy Kong’s reputation as an objectified love interest and turn her into a compelling three-dimensional character for the contemporary era.

6 Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman voicing Tiny Kong

As Dixie Kong’s younger sister, Tiny Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong 64 as a little girl who used her pigtails to accomplish tasks. With fun-loving energy, Tiny Kong should be portrayed by an actress who could bring the energy and vulnerability that the part deserves such as Sarah Silverman. Having already proved herself capable of playing a smaller character with the power of packing a big punch such as Vanellope von Schweetz in Wreck-It Ralph, Silverman would be the perfect choice for this minor role.

5 Andy Samberg

Andy Samberg voicing Lanky Kong

An often-underutilized character within the Donkey Kong game series, Lanky Kong had an eccentric and goofy personality and would be perfectly voiced by Andy Samberg in the potential Donkey Kong movie. A distant orangutang cousin within the Kong family, Samberg could bring the adventurous spirit of Rod Kimble from Hot Rod and the outrageous energy of Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine to the role of Lanky Kong. Samberg already proved his ability with voice work in films such as Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Hotel Transylvania, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

4 Judi Dench

Judi Dench voicing Wrinkly Kong

The deceased wife of Cranky Kong, Wrinkly Kong was a maternal figure who often appeared as a ghost within the game series. In a potential Donkey Kong movie, Wrinkly Kong should be portrayed by an actress with a flair for playing maternal figures with an older, soothing, and comforting voice such as Dame Judi Dench. Having played iconic characters in long-running franchises, like M in James Bond, and provided voice work for animated movies like The Magic Roundabout, Dench would bring an elegant atmosphere to the Donkey Kong movie and would be the perfect choice to voice Wrinkly Kong.

3 Tom Holland

Tom Holland voicing Diddy Kong

As Donkey Kong’s sidekick, Diddy Kong would have a major part to play in a potential Donkey Kong movie, and the youthful appeal and energetic voice of Tom Holland would be the perfect choice for this important role. Having already showcased his adventurous spirit as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as a jungle explorer in Uncharted, Holland proved his talent for voice acting in movies such as Spies in Disguise, Dolittle, and Onward. The part of Diddy Kong would be a fun and unique opportunity for Holland to portray an important secondary character in this potential franchise.

2 Zendaya

Zendaya voicing Dixie Kong

There is no better actress to complete Nintendo’s power couple of Diddy and Dixie Kong than Zendaya. As one of the biggest movie stars today, Zendaya starred opposite Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the two have been dating ever since. A Donkey Kong movie would be the perfect place for the two to reunite in a film and Zendaya’s innate charm and expressive vocal inflection would work well for the character of Dixie Kong. Zendaya has already proved her ability to portray iconic animated characters as she was the voice of Lola Bunny in Space Jam: A New Legacy.

1 Tom Kenny

Tom Kenny voicing Yoshi

Perhaps the most glaring omission from The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the absence of classic Mario sidekick Yoshi and while this will likely be rectified in a direct sequel, that does not mean Yoshi could not appear in a potential Donkey Kong spin-off film. There are so many options when casting Yoshi and instead of a Hollywood star, the part would benefit more from a talented voice actor like Tom Kenny. The voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, Kenny would bring a cartoonish energy to the role of Yoshi and help bring the green dinosaur to life on the big screen.