Super Mario Bros.: The Movie Confirms Cast

Super Mario Bros.: The Movie is set to release in 2022, and we could not be more excited! As a globally popular franchise, the upcoming animated film has gotten everyone excited, especially with such a large fanbase since the platform video game came out in 1985, developed and published by Nintendo, and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The game from 1985 began the shift from single-screen gameplay to side-scrolling platformer levels. Despite not being the first game in the Mario franchise, it is the most iconic and introduced a variety of series staples such as power-ups, classic enemies, and the usual task of the player having to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser.

Now that we have an animated film to look forward to in 2022, there will be even more content from the Mario franchise and exciting news to come until the film release. North America already have a release date of 21^st December 2022 for the film, and the international release will be announced at a later date. Until then, we can only wait for more updates, but for now, the cast list has gotten everyone talking for what is to come now that it has recently been confirmed.

Super Mario Bros. will be an animated film with voice actors led by Chris Pratt as the iconic Nintendo character, Mario. Other actors and actresses confirmed to join the cast are Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess 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, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.

With the cast list confirmed, there are many expectations for how the film will turn out, especially after the results of the 1993 Super Mario film, which received a rating of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 29% audience score. One critic named David Hogan said, “I don’t honestly believe it deserves its reputation as one of the ‘worst films ever made’, but I still wouldn’t bother with this one.”

However, with an A-list voice cast, there are high hopes for a successful animated film, which is a project created by Nintendo and Illumination, with Universal distributing in North America and co-financing with Illumination.

The founder for Illumination, Chris Meledandri, and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, will produce the film. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the duo behind Teen Titans Go! and Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, are directing. The screenwriter will be Matthew Fogel, who also wrote for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Chris Meledandri, Illumination founder, said, “Mario and Luigi are two of the most beloved heroes in all of popular culture, and we are honoured to have the unique opportunity to work so closely with Shigeru Miyamoto and the widely imaginative team at Nintendo to bring these characters to life in an animated movie, unlike any film Illumination has made to date.”

Additionally, the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, also made a statement saying, “We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character licensed film, but a new piece of entertainment which brings Super Mario Bros. to life on the screen and allows everyone to enjoy whether or not they know about the game. The production so far is constructive and going very well, and both parties are learning a lot from each other. We humbly ask that fans wait just a little longer for the premiere, and we hope they look forward to seeing the unique characters from Super Mario Bros. on the big screen.”

The wait can definitely feel like it is too long, however, as a popular gaming franchise, there are many video games to occupy yourself with, so why not try some out and keep your eyes open for any further updates coming soon!