Feel old yet? This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Super Mario franchise, and its enduring appeal has certainly shown in the ever-expanding slate of games and spin-off projects. On the film side of things, The Super Mario Bros. Movie proved to be a successful gamble for Nintendo, Universal, and Illumination, so it came as no surprise when a sequel was announced.
Informally known as The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, the forthcoming adaptation now goes by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, after the 2007 Nintendo Wii hit of the same name, and is slated for release in theatres on 3 April 2026. The news was announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation held on 12 September, with an accompanying teaser showing Mario sleeping under a tree and Princess Peach’s castle in the distance, before the camera pans up to space.
No plot details were revealed in the footage, but fans should keep their eyes peeled for nods to the games, from familiar faces like the Monty Mole, Cheep Cheeps, and Toads to locations from throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Chris Pratt, who voices the mustached plumber in the first film, will reprise his role alongside Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen’s Gambit) as Princess Peach, Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Luigi, Jack Black (Kung-Fu Panda) as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele) as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson (Lilo & Stitch) as Kamek.
Released in April 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the most successful video game adaptation to date, banking around US$1.36 billion at the global box office. It follows Mario and his brother Luigi, who are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, and the former’s efforts to team up with Princess Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong to save Luigi from the evil Koopa King Bowser.
The Nintendo livestream also announced a handful of other upcoming projects, including a new Super Mario Galaxy remaster, Mario Tennis Fever, the latest entry in the tennis series, a Switch 2 Edition for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and a new Yoshi platformer titled Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.
Outside of Mario, the industry giant has partnered up with Sony Pictures to release a live-action adaptation based on The Legend of Zelda. The Wes Ball-directed pic will star Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Zelda and Link, respectively.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits the silver screen on 3 April 2026.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
