Since their games came out, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and even Pokémon have been turned into movies more than once. On the other hand, Super Mario Bros., which is probably the most popular game series of all time, has only been turned into a movie once.
Well, that will soon change with The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Nintendo and Illumination, which will hopefully fix the mistakes of its 1993 live-action predecessor and introduce a new generation to the famous plumber who likes mushrooms.
With voice actors like Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and a who’s who of top talent, as well as big-time producers like the man who made Mario, Nintendo’s most famous character will likely get a great redemption story when the movie comes out in Spring 2023.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Will Be Released Theatrically
According to cinemablend, When The Super Mario Bros. comes out, the famous plumber-turned-video-game-hero Mario will hop his way into moviegoers’ hearts. On April 7, 2023, the movie comes out in North America.
The movie based on the video game was supposed to come out in theatres in December 2022, but Universal and Illumination decided to delay it by about four months. Deadline says that this change was made so that more families could watch during the Easter holiday.
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In the coming months, there should be more news about when the long-awaited game adaptation will come out in other countries, so keep your ears to the ground (or any green tunnels that pop up throughout the Mushroom Kingdom). Find the warp flute from Super Mario Bros. 3 now to skip the next year.
The Super Mario Bros Movie Instagram
Take a look at The Super Mario Bros Movie Instagram account.
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The Super Mario Bros. Cast
During the September 2021 Nintendo Direct event, Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who made Mario and a lot of the company’s other well-known characters, showed up on screen to talk about The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
This was a big surprise for video game fans all over the world. Miyamoto couldn’t talk about the plot or how it fits into the franchise’s history, which goes back to 1981. However, he did talk about the all-star cast (and somewhat controversial cast).
First, Mario, Nintendo’s mascot, will be played by Chris Pratt, not Danny DeVito. Pratt already has a full schedule, and this will add to it. Anya Taylor-Joy, who will play Princess Peach in Super Mario Bros., will also be in the cast.
Charlie Day plays Luigi, and Jack Black plays Bowser. Keegan-Michael Key plays Toad, Seth Rogen plays Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen plays Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson plays Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco plays Spike.
Chris Pratt Has Said
Not long after it was announced that Chris Pratt would be the voice of the famous plumber in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, longtime fans worried that the portrayal would be offensive because Pratt is neither Italian nor Italian-American.
Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination, told TooFab a few months later that he understood why fans were upset and worried. He also said that the Guardians of the Galaxy star wouldn’t be doing the typical “It’s me, Mario” voice that has been in games for 30 years.
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In a June 2023 interview with Variety, Pratt said that his take on the character would be “unlike anything” that had been seen or heard before. He said:
I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear. … I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.
Even though Pratt’s version of the plumber who jumps over pipes and saves princesses hasn’t been shown yet, Meledandri told Variety just a few days ago that he loved the performance and called it “strong.”
Super Mario Bros Movie Cast
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, was the Nintendo Representative Director for September 2021’s Nintendo Direct. He announced the movie’s release date and cast, which set the internet on fire.
Chris Pratt, from the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy,” is everyone’s favorite plumber, Mario, who has a mustache. Since Charles Martinet has always voiced Mario, and he is set to play several characters in the movie version of the Mushroom Kingdom, the news that Chris Pratt was cast as Mario shocked almost everyone.
He posted a video to Instagram about how much he has always loved Super Mario Bros. and how excited and committed he is to the project. “It’s me,” he joked in a New York Italian-American accent, before adding, “That’s not the voice. You’ll have to wait to hear the voice, but we’ve been working hard on it.”
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day will play Luigi, Mario’s brother. It’s Always Sunny is a bit of a wild card, and Luigi’s clumsy, crazy, and odd personality fits that. The day is no stranger to animated movies. He has voiced characters in The Lego Movie, The Lego Movie 2 (in which Chris Pratt also appeared), and Monsters University.
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Princess Peach is voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy. Joy said in an interview with ExtraTV,
“It’s a lot of fun. I have a lot of respect for all the work that goes into it because these artists are just amazing.
Princess Peach usually plays the role of the damsel in distress in each Mario Bros. game. Only time will tell if she will play a different role.
Jack Black, who is known for his comedy, will play Bowser, which is a move that has been praised by everyone. His lively voice and eagerness to step into King Koopa’s spiked shell make him a great choice for the part. When Consequence talked to Tenacious D, Jack Black’s comedy rock-and-roll band with Kyle Gass, Black told the magazine more about how he is connected to the franchise.
Fred Armisen (Portlandia), Keegan-Michael Key (Key and Peele), Sebastian Maniscalco (Green Book), and Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong, Toad, and Spike) are also well-known comedians who play roles in the game.
The cast is finished off by Kenneth Michael Richardson as Kamek, the Magikoopa, and Charles Martinet, who has already been mentioned, who voices several characters.
The Storyline
Super Mario Bros. has always been about Mario and Luigi trying to save Princess Peach from Bowser, the fire-breathing King Koopa. Part of the Kong family being there suggests that the world outside of Peach’s Castle and Bowser’s Lair is getting more attention.
There are no official plot details yet, but the movie is being written by Matthew Fogel (The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part), Aaron Horvath (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies), and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!) is directing. In an interview with Variety, Chris Meledandri of Illumination talked about how the studio was committed to Miyamoto’s vision. He said,
“He is the most important thing to us as we make this movie. I haven’t seen that happen often in adaptations, where the original creator’s ideas are embraced like we are with Miyamoto.
All of these people working on the movie point to it being mainly for kids.
Universal’s official synopsis doesn’t tell us much:
Chris Pratt plays Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy plays Princess Peach, Charlie Day plays Luigi, Jack Black plays Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key plays Toad, Seth Rogen plays Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen plays Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson plays Kamek, and Sebastian M. Astin plays Kamek. The movie is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who also worked on Teen Titans Go! and Teen Titan
Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination, and Shigeru Miyamoto, who works for Nintendo, are the ones who made the movie. Universal Pictures and Nintendo will help pay for the movie, and Universal Pictures will release it all over the world.
