Super Mario Movie in the Works

Nintendo is closing in on a massive deal with Universal to bring Super Mario to the big screen. This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that Illumination Entertainment has been tasked with creating an animated Super Mario Bros. movie based on Nintendo’s most recognizable and most celebrated mascot.

According to the report, multiple studios have been courting Nintendo ever since the company expressed an open interest in bringing its most popular intellectual properties to the silver screen in a push to elevate brand awareness. As Nintendo expands its ever-growing hardware and software library, Nintendo is also making a push into mobile gaming, movies, and an upcoming theme park which will be at various Universal Studios theme park locations around the world.

The alleged agreement between Nintendo and Illumination would allow for multiple movie projects, though currently, there is only one reportedly in the works. At the time we have no information as to what stage of pre-planning or production the movie is in, what kind of plot it may introduce, or which characters from the Super Mario universe it might feature. The article asserts that the film is in its “early stages,” and thus very likely multiple years from launch.

As for the Super Nintendo World theme park, that’s something we’re likely to see long before this movie surfaces. Universal and Nintendo have already revealed some incredible details for their upcoming Universal Studios park area, which is currently scheduled to launch, at least in Japan, in 2020. If you’d like to check out a leaked map showing a potential layout for Super Nintendo World, you can see that here.

We’ll be keeping our eye on this one. As soon as we get our hands on a synopsis, storyboard images, or additional details, you guys will be the first to know! Stay tuned.