Posted in: Movies, Universal | Tagged: Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, chris pratt, illumination, jack black, keegan-michael key, nintendo, seth rogan, super mario bros., Super Mario Bros. movie, universal

Super Mario Bros Animated Film Delayed to Spring 2023

Published Mon, 25 Apr 2022 21:15:13 -0500

by Tom Chang

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The animated Super Mario Bros movie from Illumination and Nintendo based on the video game giant's franchise will be delayed from holiday 2022 to an Easter 2023 release. According to The Wrap, the Universal release will hit theaters on April 7, 2023, instead of December 2022. The change is also reflected for its release in Japan, where Nintendo is based, for April 28, 2023.

Chris Pratt will lend his voice to the famous plumber originally conceived in 1981 in Nintendo's Donkey Kong, which was originally released for the arcade. Also in the cast are Charlie Day as Mario's brother Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as the villain Bowser, Keegan Michael-Key as Toad, and Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong. Joining them are Fred Armisen, Kevin Michael Richardson, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Charles Martinet, the long-time voice of Mario, Luigi, and Wario in the Nintendo games.

Directing are Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) with Matthew Fogel (The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Minions: the Rise of Gru) penning the script. Illumination's Chris Meledandri and Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto will produce. Super Mario Bros. became the signature title for the Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom in Japan) upon the video game console's launch in 1985. Total sales reached 40.24 million of the original game topping $2.67 billion in revenue and that's not counting compilation ports like Super Mario All-Stars or revamped titles like NES Remix along with the several spinoffs and sequels through the franchise's 40+ year history. With the success of other video game adaptations in recent years like Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise from Paramount and Nintendo's Detective Pikachu (2019) from Warner Bros as well as crossover films like Ready Player One (2018) and Wreck It Ralph (2012), it looks like Nintendo is finally ready to revisit Super Mario Bros as a viable film following the maligned 1993 live-action cult classic that starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo.