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Untitled Mario film

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Untitled Mario film
A poster featuring a list of actors above a glowing yellow cube with question marks on each side.
Teaser poster
Directed by
Screenplay byMatthew Fogel
Based onMario
by Nintendo
Produced by
Starring
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21) (United States)
Countries
  • United States
  • Japan
LanguageEnglish

The untitled Mario film is an upcoming computer-animated film to be produced by Illumination in association with Nintendo, with distribution by Universal Pictures. It is the third feature film adaptation of Nintendo's Mario video game series, following the 1986 Japanese-only anime film Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! and the 1993 live-action film Super Mario Bros. The film is being directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic from a screenplay by Matthew Fogel and features an ensemble voice cast including Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Kevin Michael Richardson, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Charles Martinet.

After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 film, Nintendo was reluctant to license its intellectual properties for film adaptations. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto became interested in developing another Mario film when Nintendo was bringing its older games to the Virtual Console service, and through Nintendo's work with Universal Parks & Resorts to create Mario-based attractions he met Illumination founder Chris Meledandri. By 2016, the two were discussing a Mario film, and in January 2018 Nintendo announced that it would collaborate with Illumination and Universal to produce it. Production was underway by 2020.

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 21, 2022.

Voice cast

Main article: Characters in the Mario franchise

Charles Martinet, who voices Mario and various other characters in the franchise, will also appear in undisclosed cameo roles.[1]

Production

Development

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic speaking during a WonderCon panel for "Teen Titans Go!" in 2016
Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic

After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film adaptation, Japanese video game company Nintendo became wary of licensing its properties for film adaptations.[2] According to Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the idea for a new Mario film came from bringing their older games to the Virtual Console and other services; such transitions took time for the company, and Miyamoto recognized that "our content business would be able to develop even further if we were able to combine our long-beloved software with that of video assets, and utilize them together for extended periods."[3] Miyamoto knew that the process of making a film was far different from that of making a video game, and wanted a film expert to lead the effort.[4]

Following the November 2014 hack of Sony Pictures, emails between producer Avi Arad, studio chief Amy Pascal, TriStar Pictures head Tom Rothman, and Sony Pictures Animation president of production Michelle Raimo Kouyate were released revealing that Sony had been attempting to secure the film rights to the Mario franchise for several years. Arad visited Nintendo in Tokyo in February and July 2014 in an attempt to secure a deal. In October, Arad emailed Pascal and said he had closed the deal with Nintendo. Pascal suggested recruiting Hotel Transylvania director Genndy Tartakovsky to help develop the project, while Kouyate said she could "think of 3–4 movies right out of the gate" and expressed hope in "build[ing] a Mario empire."[2] However, after the emails leaked, Arad denied that a deal had been made, stating that negotiations had only begun. BuzzFeed News noted that the emails did not take into account potential conflicts with Sony Pictures' corporate sibling Sony Interactive Entertainment, one of Nintendo's chief competitors.[2]

Through Nintendo's work with Universal Parks & Resorts to create Mario-based attractions, Miyamoto met Chris Meledandri, founder of Universal Pictures' Illumination animation division. Miyamoto found Meledandri's creative process similar to his own, and felt he would be the proper lead for a Mario film. They had started more earnest discussions by 2016, knowing that if they felt it would not work that they could easily walk away.[4] In November 2017, reports emerged that Nintendo was collaborating with Universal and Illumination to make an animated Mario film.[5] Then-Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima clarified that a deal had not been finalized, but that an announcement would come soon. Kimishima hoped that if the deal was successful, a 2020 release date would be possible.[6] In January 2018, Nintendo announced that the film would progress with Miyamoto and Meledandri co-producing.[7] Meledandri said the film was a "priority" for Illumination and that it will most likely come out in 2022. He added that Miyamoto would be "front and center" during production.[8] In January 2020, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the film was "moving along smoothly" with an expected 2022 release date. Furukawa also said Nintendo would own the rights to the film, and both Nintendo and Universal would fund the production.[9]

In August 2021, it emerged that Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic were directing the film after the discovery of an Illumination animator's LinkedIn profile that included the film in their list.[10] Following the full casting announcement, Horvath and Jelenic were confirmed to be directing, with Matthew Fogel attached as the screenwriter.[11]

Casting

Chris Pratt in 2018
Charlie Day in 2010
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day provide the voices for Mario and Luigi, respectively.

In February 2021, Mario voice actor Charles Martinet said the possibility of reprising his role in the film would be a "marvelous thing" and that if he were asked to voice Mario, "I'll go in and play with great joy and happiness."[12] In August 2021, Sebastian Maniscalco revealed he was voicing Spike, Mario and Luigi's boss from the game Wrecking Crew (1985).[13]

During a September 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation, Shigeru Miyamoto announced that Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Kevin Michael Richardson, Fred Armisen, and Maniscalco would headline the voice cast, and that Martinet would be featured in "surprise cameos".[1] This announcement was met with a mixed reaction from longtime fans; while some welcomed the idea of celebrity actors voicing the characters, others questioned the choices, in particular Pratt as Mario instead of Martinet (who has voiced the character since 1992) or an Italian actor.[14] Meledandri said Pratt would not be voicing Mario with a thick Italian accent.[15]

Plot details were kept secret to the actors during recording, according to Day, who noted he had to record his dialogues in many different ways, after which the directors selected the version best suited for the movie.[16]

Animation

The film is being animated by Illumination Mac Guff, which has animated many of Illumination's previous films, in Paris, France.[17] Production was underway by September 2020.[18][19]

Release

The film is currently scheduled to be released in the United States on December 21, 2022, by Universal Pictures,[20] and will be available to stream on Peacock 45 days afterwards.[21]

Future

In May 2021, Furukawa said that Nintendo was interested in producing more animated films based on its IP if the Mario film is successful.[22] The following November, reports emerged that Illumination was developing a Donkey Kong spin-off film, with Rogen set to reprise his role.[23] In February 2022, Charlie Day expressed interest in doing a Luigi's Mansion movie.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Murphy, J. Kim (September 23, 2021). "Nintendo Direct: Chris Pratt Will Voice Mario in the Super Mario Bros. Movie". IGN. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Vary, Adam (December 11, 2014). "Sony Pictures Lands "Mario Bros." Movie Rights From Nintendo, Leaked Emails Show". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on December 12, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  3. ^ Olsen, Mathew (February 3, 2020). "The Virtual Console Convinced Nintendo to Make a New Mario Movie". USGamer. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Minotti, Mike (January 9, 2018). "Nintendo's Miyamoto explains how Illumination won Mario movie rights". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  5. ^ Fritz, Ben; Mochizuki, Takashi (November 14, 2017). "Mario Bros. Set to Jump to Big Screen in Movie Deal with Universal's Illumination". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  6. ^ Medina, Joseph Jammer (January 9, 2018). "Super Mario Bros. Movie Deal Not Finalized, Movie Could Come In 2020". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  7. ^ Blair, Gavin J. (January 31, 2018). "'Mario' Movie to Be Produced by Nintendo and Illumination". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  8. ^ Schaefer, Sandy (November 6, 2018). "Super Mario Bros. Animated Movie Is A Priority; May Arrive In 2022". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Craddock, Ryan (January 30, 2020). "Illumination's Mario Movie Is "Moving Along Smoothly", Aiming For 2022 Release". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  10. ^ Doolan, Liam (August 24, 2021). "Super Mario Bros. Movie Might Be Directed By The Teen Titans Go! Creators". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  11. ^ Donnelly, Matt (September 23, 2021). "Super Mario Bros. Movie Lands All-Star Voice Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen". Variety. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Doolan, Liam (February 13, 2021). "Charles Martinet Would Love To Voice Mario In Upcoming Illumination Movie". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  13. ^ Ditchfield, Jaime (August 9, 2021). "Sebastian Maniscalco will voice 'Spike' in Illumination Super Mario movie". Nintendo Enthusiast. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  14. ^ Walsh, Michael (September 24, 2021). "Twitter's Best Reactions to the Super Mario Movie Casting". Nerdist. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Mario Bros. Producer Chris Meledandri Defends Casting Non-Italian Chris Pratt (Exclusive)". Toofab. November 22, 2021. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  16. ^ Harrison, Alexander (February 11, 2022). "Super Mario Bros. Movie Is As Secretive As the MCU, Says Charlie Day". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Mateo, Alex (May 6, 2021). "Nintendo Appoints Illumination Founder/CEO Chris Meledandri as Outside Director". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021. The report also noted at the time that Illumination Entertainment's Mac Guff studio in Paris would animate the film, and that it was in the early stages of development.
  18. ^ Russell, Bradley (September 16, 2020). "Super Mario movie is officially coming in 2022 with Miyamoto involved as producer". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  19. ^ Pamokdjian, Armen. "Super Mario Movie 2022 Character Design". LinkedIn.
  20. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 23, 2021). "Super Mario Bros. Animated Pic Sets Cast: Chris Pratt As Mario, Charlie Day As Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy As Princess Peach & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  21. ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  22. ^ Evangelista, Chris (May 4, 2021). "More Nintendo Animated Movies on the Way Following Illumination's 'Super Mario'". /Film. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  23. ^ Robinson, Andy (November 3, 2021). "Another source points to potential Donkey Kong movie with Seth Rogen". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  24. ^ Valentine, Evan (February 18, 2022). "Charlie Day Confirms Interest in Starring in a Luigi's Mansion Movie (Exclusive)". ComicBook. Retrieved February 21, 2022.

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