©Universal/Courtesy of Everett Collection
Illumination and Nintendo have teamed up to produce a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros.
The two companies previously partnered on last year's “Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which grossed more than $1.3 billion at the box office. It's unclear what the new film will focus on, and the partners aren't using the term “sequel.” However, the companies specified that the film will be released theatrically in the United States on April 3, 2026, and in many additional markets around the world during April in select regions.
The film will be produced by Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, and Shigeru Miyamoto, president and fellow of Nintendo and one of the most famous figures in the gaming world. The film will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who also directed “Super Mario Bros. Movie,'' and the screenplay will be written by Matthew Fogel, who also wrote the screenplay for the same movie. The film is co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and will be distributed theatrically worldwide by Universal Pictures.
Illumination is one of the biggest powers in the animation world, producing hits such as the “Despicable Me” series and “Dr. Martin.” Seuss' The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, The Secret Life of Pets, and the Sing movies. Illumination's next film is Despicable Me 4, which is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 3, 2024.
Nintendo games include “Donkey Kong,'' “The Legend of Zelda,'' “Metroid,'' and “Splatoon.'' Nintendo has sold over 5.6 billion video games and over 800 million hardware worldwide.
Even more in the future…
