Universal and Illumination are finally confirmed to be working on Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.
The iconic character, Mario, has had quite a run over the decades, starting in games and moving to movies. Following its record-breaking run at the box office in 2023, the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel has finally moved forward; the 2023 movie served as a second adaptation of Nintendo’s iconic platforming video games franchise, taking place after the infamous 1993 bomb and completely reversed the property’s on-screen potential.
It became one of the second-highest-grossing movies of the year at the time, achieving over $1.36 billion worldwide. Talks about the potential Super Mario Bros Movie 2 have risen in the months since it came out. However, the iconic voice actor, Jack Black, renowned for his numerous roles in voice acting and being on stage himself, has frequently indicated that he has not heard a word of any confirmation plans.
However, during the last Mario Day event held by Nintendo, the studio did announce they would be retaining Universal and Illumination to develop a new Super Mario Bros film. The announcement was made by Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto and CEO/Founder of Illumination, Chris Meledandri, while not indicating that the coming movie role and main goal will be set into expanding the world of the iconic character and first movie hit, aiming for it to release to theaters on April 3, 2026.
Receiving a follow-up film after the 2023 Super Mario Bros was such a hit comes as no surprise; it’s an interesting way of doing things, as Miyamoto and Meledandri didn’t outright refer to the next movie as The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2. A return of the fan-favorite characters from the first movie would be the most likely way to recapture the success, though the group’s desire to expand the Nintendo Franchises universe would no doubt be a beneficial decision.
The first movie, Super Mario Bros. Movie, had already set up a wide range of other characters to focus on in the next movie, not excluding Seth Rogen’s Iconic game characters, Donkey Kong and Yoshi, who were teased in the post-credits scene. With the original movie’s cast all keen on returning, Chris Pratt, Jack Black, and Anya Taylor-Joy will likely be back in some capacity in the Super Mario Bros Movie 2, even if the movie may ultimately focus on a different character.
