Mario is back and bigger than ever. According to a new report out of Variety, Nintendo is looking to bring everyone’s favourite pixelated plumber to the big screen. The legendary Japanese game studio is currently in talks with Illumination Entertainment to produce a feature-length film starring Super Mario himself. Nintendo’s American office confirmed the story on social media and gave fans a few hints at what to expect. “Nintendo and Illumination are partnering on a Mario film, co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri,” reads an official tweet.
This bit of news follows a successful quarter for the company, who recently launched their latest game system to rave reviews. Since hitting store shelves in March of last year, the forward-thinking device known as Switch has won over millions of consumers thanks to its portable functionality and excellent game catalogue—Super Mario Odyssey being one of those awesome titles. Now, Nintendo is hoping to capitalize on this fandom with its very own cinematic universe.
Diehard fans will remember that this isn’t the first time Mario has graced the silver screen. Back in 1993, the brand icon was the focus of the aptly titled, Super Mario Bros., which starred Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper. Despite the big names involved, the film tanked at the box office and was marred with tons of negative reviews. One can only imagine that Nintendo is banking on a winner for this forthcoming franchise reboot.
If there’s one good omen, however, it’s that Illumination has a promising track record with all of Rio, Minions, and Lorax to their credit. Unfortunately, we still have a few more years to see what they do with the Mario IP.
