It's been 25 years since
Mario last appeared on the big screen, but the legendary character is ready for his second shot. Nintendo announced today that they have partnered with Illumination Entertainment on a brand new animated movie starring the iconic Italian plumber.
There had been reports back in November that Nintendo was close to signing a movie deal with the studio behind
Despicable Me,
Minions, and
Sing to create an animated
Super Mario Bros. movie, and now it's official.
"Nintendo and Illumination are partnering on a movie starring Mario, co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri!" Nintendo of America announced on
Twitter.
Shigeru Miyamoto, of course, is the creator of
Mario and many other iconic Nintendo characters, while Chris Meledandri is best known for his work on the
Despicable Me franchise.
The last major film starring the iconic Nintendo character was the 1993 live-action adaptation
Super Mario Bros., which starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, respectively. The film was a bomb both critically and commercially, but has since garnered a cult following. There's no word on when the
Super Mario animated movie will hit theaters, but with the character riding high following the successful launch of
Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch, now might be the perfect time for him to return to the big screen.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.