New Super Mario Bros. Movie confirmed with official release date

Shigeru Miyamoto took to social media via @NintendoAmerica's account on March 10, 2024, Mario Day, and announced that a "new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros." is slated to release in 2026. Amidst the buzz, a video shared on the company's YouTube channel also unveiled release dates for highly anticipated games like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD.

Miyamoto's appearance in the video added to the excitement as he shared insights about the upcoming film based on Super Mario Bros. While no significant details about the plot and cast have been revealed yet, the gaming giant assured fans of timely updates.

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Release date of new film based on Super Mario Bros.

Fans of the beloved Super Mario Bros. franchise were over the moon when Nintendo officially announced the development of the new movie. The studio is set to team up with Universal and Illumination once again, promising a new story and a more expansive world.

The new Super Mario Bros. film is scheduled to hit theaters on April 3, 2026, in the United States. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who previously directed The Super Mario Bros. Movie, will return to helm the new project, joined by writer Matthew Fogel.

It is important to note that the team has not called this new project a sequel, leaving room for speculation about a potential spinoff or focus on other characters in the Mario universe.

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Message from Shigeru Miyamoto

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative mind behind the iconic Mario universe, shared the news along with Illumination CEO and founder Chris Meledandri during Nintendo's Mario Day event. While Miyamoto did not share details about the plot, he expressed his intent to broaden Mario's world further, promising more updates as the project progresses.

“This time we’re thinking about broadening Mario’s world further and it’ll have a bright and fun story. We hope you’ll look forward to it,” he said in the video.

Meledandri also stated that the storyboarding and set design for the new project has already begun and that animation will begin "soon."

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What was Super Mario Bros. Movie about?

The first movie, released on April 5, 2023, became the highest-grossing film based on a video game, as per ScreenRant. Business Insider also reported that it became the first film based on a video game to gross $1 billion worldwide.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie revolved around Italian-American brothers Mario and Luigi (voiced by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, respectively), who ran a plumbing business in Brooklyn. In the film, they were sucked into a Warp Pipe and found themselves in different realms.

Mario ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom ruled by Princess Peach, while Luigi landed in the Dark Lands ruled by the evil Koopa king Bowser.

Bowser planned to marry Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) and threatened to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom if she refused. Mario teamed up with Peach and Toad (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) to rally against Bowser.

After various challenges and battles, Mario and Luigi defeated Bowser, saved the Mushroom Kingdom, and shrunk Bowser before imprisoning him. The movie is available to stream on Peacock, Prime Video, and Netflix.

As the animation for the new project is set to begin soon, the upcoming film promises to bring joy and excitement to the audience, continuing the legacy of this beloved gaming universe.