During their latest Nintendo Direct, the company took a few minutes to talk about the upcoming Super Mario Bros. animated film, which will hit theaters Holiday 2022.
The Super Mario Bros. movie is being made in collaboration with Illumination Entertainment, the creators of Despicable Me, Minions, Sing, and more. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, is still playing a major role in the development of the film, however, and during the Nintendo Direct, he also announced another major piece of news, the cast voicing some of the most iconic characters ever made. It appears the film is opting to give full voices to the characters, and the actors cast are a tremendous surprise. Most notable, of course, is Mario being portrayed by Chris Pratt, who’s best known for Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. Here’s the full list of actors announced.
- Chris Pratt as Mario
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach
- Charlie Day as Luigi
- Jack Black as Bowser
- Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
- Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
- Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
- Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike
- Surprise cameos from Charles Martinet (longtime voice of Mario)
Unfortunately, Miyamoto explained that it would still be quite a while before Nintendo can share a first look at the upcoming film. The Super Mario Bros. movie is being produced by Miyamoto as well as Illumination founder Chris Meledandri. The film is being directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the duo behind Teen Titans Go! and Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. Finally, the script is being written by Matthew Fogel, the screenwriter behind The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
The Mario movie cast was by far the biggest bombshell of the presentation, but Nintendo also had plenty of other news to share, including a new expansion for Monster Hunter Rise, the first full trailer for Bayonetta 3, and a brand-new 3D Kirby game titled Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
