The Super Mario movie has been in the works for quite some time and was initially slated for a theatrical release towards the end of this year. However, Nintendo has indicated that they need more time and as a result they have pushed the film to Spring 2023.
In fact, the film will now be released on April 7 in North America and April 28 in Japan. The European new release date has not yet been announced, but will probably also be somewhere in April 2023.
Miyamoto himself made this known on behalf of Nintendo and he apologized and promised that the film is worth waiting (longer) for.
This is Miyamoto. After consulting with Chris-san, my partner at Illumination on the Super Mario Bros. film, we decided to move the global release to Spring 2023–April 28 in Japan and April 7 in North America. My deepest apologies but I promise it will be well worth the wait.
Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. animated film will not be released in 2022, as previously announced. The Mario film will now be released next spring, according to Nintendo and Illumination.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and game designer, made the announcement via Nintendo of America’s Twitter account. Miyamoto stated that he and his co-producer, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri, decided to postpone their Mario feature.
“After talking with Chris-san, my Super Mario Bros. film partner at Illumination,” Miyamoto remarked, “we decided to move the global release to Spring 2023–April 28 in Japan and April 7 in North America.” “Please accept my sincere apologies, but I assure you that the wait will be well worth it.”
The Super Mario Bros. movie was set to hit theaters on December 21. Its new release date of April 2023 puts it ahead of another widely anticipated film, James Cameron’s Avatar 2, which is set to hit theaters on December 16. Mario fans looking for cinematic Super Mario Bros. entertainment will have to wait until next spring to watch the existing live-action Super Mario Bros. film or Nintendo’s 1986 anime.
In 2018, Nintendo and Illumination, the studio behind Minions and Despicable Me, announced intentions to develop an animated Mario film.
Chris Pratt as a Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as a Princess Peach, and Jack Black as Bowser, in the film, which has yet to be given an official title. Luigi is played by Charlie Day, Toad is played by Keegan-Michael Key, Donkey Kong is played by Seth Rogan, Kamek is played by Kevin Michael Richardson, Cranky Kong is played by Fred Armisen, and Spike is played by Sebastian Maniscalco. Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru) wrote the script, and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!) and Aaron Horvath (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) co-directed the film.