Nintendo and Illumination announced that a Super Mario Bros. animated movie is coming to theaters December 2022.
The movie will see Chris Pratt star as the voice of Mario, along with Charlie Day (Luigi), Anya-Taylor Joy (Peach), Jack Black (Bowser), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek), Sebastian Maniscalco (Spike), and surprise cameos from Charles Martinet.
The Super Mario Bros. Animated Film movie is heading to theaters in North America on 12/21/22!
Check out the voice cast for the upcoming movie below ? pic.twitter.com/Xj31P6hk6y
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 23, 2021
Universal Pictures will release the film in North America on December 21, 2022 for the holiday season; the release dates for additional countries and regions has yet to be announced.
Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are onboard to direct — the pair has previously collaborated on the animated series Teen Titans Go! and movie Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. Meanwhile Matthew Fogel, whose credits include The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and Minions: The Rise of Gru, will write the screenplay.
“Mario and Luigi are two of the most beloved heroes in all of popular culture, and we are honored to have the unique opportunity to work so closely with Shigeru Miyamoto and the widely imaginative team at Nintendo to bring these characters to life in an animated movie, unlike any film Illumination has made to date,” said Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, also an outside director of Nintendo.
Meledandri along with representative director and fellow at Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto — creator of Super Mario Bros. — will serve as producers.
“We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character licensed film, but a new piece of entertainment which brings Super Mario Bros. to life on the screen, and allows everyone to enjoy whether or not they know about the game,” said Miyamoto. “The production so far is constructive and going very well, and both parties are learning a lot from each other. We humbly ask that fans wait just a little longer for the premiere, and we hope they look forward to seeing the unique characters from Super Mario Bros. on the big screen”