Nintendo reveals all-star cast for ‘Super Mario Bros.’ animated film

Nintendo has revealed the all-star voice cast for the upcoming movie adaptation of the perennial favorite video game series, Super Mario Bros.

During Friday's Nintendo Direct presentation, the Japanese video game company announced that Chris Pratt and Charlie Day will play the beloved siblings Mario and Luigi, respectively, in the upcoming animated movie.

Joining Pratt and Day are Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong), Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek), and Sebastian Maniscalco (Spike). 

The new animated film will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic with Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto attached as producers.

The screenplay, meanwhile, will be written by Matthew Fogel, whose writing credits include The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and the upcoming film Minions: The Rise of Gru.

“Mario and Luigi are two of the most beloved heroes in all of popular culture, and we are honored 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,” Meledandri said in a statement.

“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," Miyamoto said. "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 Super Mario Bros. movie is scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 21, 2022.

(Images from Nintendo)