Universal and Illumination Entertainment’s upcoming adaptation of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. video game series has been delayed until 2023.
The Super Mario Bros. adaptation was originally scheduled to be released on December 21, aimed at a theatrical run through the holiday season. The film will now hit theaters on April 7, 2023 in North America. A Japanese release follows on April 28th.
Super Mario Bros. series creator and Nintendo leader Shigeru Miyamoto announced the change in release date via Nintendo’s social media on Monday night.
“After consulting with Chris-san, [producer Chris Meledandri,] my partner at Illumination on the Super Mario Bros. movie, we decided to move the global release to the spring of 2023, ”Miyamoto wrote. “My deepest apologies, but I promise it’s going to be worth the wait.”
This is Miyamoto. After consulting with Chris-san, my partner at Illumination on the Super Mario Bros. movie, we decided to move the global release to Spring 2023-28. April in Japan and April 7 in North America. My deepest apologies, but I promise it will be worth the wait.
– Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 26, 2022
As the Mario move leaves a gap in the holiday season for Universal, the studio is moving the release date of DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” to fill the release date of December 21st. The “Shrek” spin-off sequel had been released in theaters on September 23rd.
After years of pregnancy, plans for a Super Mario Bros. animated film began to falter in 2018, with Nintendo and Universal announcing a partnership for the project. Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio behind “Minions”, “Despicable Me” and “Sing”, was also on board. Universal and Nintendo are helping to fund the feature film.
In September 2021, Nintendo unveiled the cast of the Super Mario Bros. movie and hit Chris Pratt to vote for the Italian plumbing protagonist. The vocal ensemble also includes Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike . Original Mario voice actor Charles Martinet will have a cameo role in the film.
After the casting was announced, producer Meledandri revealed that Pratt would not voice Mario with a thick Italian accent in the film.
Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic instruct, after previously collaborating on the animated series “Teen Titans Go!” and the spin-off movie “Teen Titans Go! In the Cinema.” The script is from Matthew Fogel, whose credits include “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” and the upcoming Illumination title “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”