The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 - Release Date, Voice Cast, And More Info
The word "iconic" gets used a lot, but if there's one character who deserves to be called that, it's Mario. The little mustachioed guy revolutionized gaming (and plumbing) forever. He has defended kingdoms against countless threats, saved princesses, and even fought off gorillas. He hasn't done all that much actual plumbing, but he has been a racer, a doctor, a golfer, a superhero, and even an elephant.
After the huge, incredible, and not entirely surprising box office success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" — not the Bob Hoskins one, the Chris Pratt one — it was inevitable that we would get more of the Mario brothers. After all, if Mario can have almost as many careers as Barbie, why not add "movie star" to the list?
While we wait to return to Mushroom Kingdom and witness Bowser's latest attempt at getting Princess Peach to marry him for some reason, let's dive into everything there is to know about "The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2" so far.
When does The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 premiere?
In March 2024, Shigeru Miyamoto (aka Mario and Luigi's dad) announced a return to the Mushroom Kingdom, and he did so in a very baller way, stating, "This is Miyamoto, We are now creating a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros." Though Miyamoto didn't say much beyond that, he did specify that the movie is planned for a theatrical release on April 3rd, 2026.
That means the sequel will arrive three years after the first "Super Mario Bros. Movie" was unleashed on the unsuspecting masses. Given how Illumination's other animated film from 2023, "Migration," only really became a box office success thanks to the sheer lack of competition in early 2024, it makes sense that the studio would want to return to guaranteed moneymakers as soon as it possibly can.
Reviewing "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" for /Film, Josh Spiegel described the film as a rare case "of the marketing lining up perfectly with the finished product," providing an unsurprising movie experience that thrived on delivering exactly what you'd expect out of a Mario movie.
What is The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 about?
The first "Super Mario Bros. Movie" ended with the Mario brothers saving both the Mushroom Kingdom and the world before concluding with an intriguing last-minute tease for Yoshi the dinosaur (in the style of the infamous 1998 "Godzilla" movie, oddly enough). That would make for a simple and perhaps to-be-expected sequel with a fun little adventure featuring Yoshi and Mario.
But then there's Miyamoto's comments. Together with the release date announcement, Miyamoto said the intention is to broaden Mario's world further. Granted, Yoshi could easily do the trick, but what if there's more? After all, the wording doesn't specify Mario is the star or even the focus.
In 2021 it was announced that Illumination and Nintendo would be partnering on more than just Mario movies. We know there's also a live-action "Legend of Zelda" movie directed by Wes Ball in the works, so it's clear Nintendo is now in the business of bringing its characters to the screen. As for the next Mario movie, there have been rumors and jokes since before the first film premiered about Nintendo creating its own cinematic universe, slowly building it out, and then introducing different franchises until we eventually get the company's take on "The Avengers" — a "Super Smash Bros." movie.
"Super Smash Bros." is a fighting game that brings together all sorts of Nintendo characters, from Mario to Kirby, Link, and even Pokémon and Star Fox. What if the next "Super Mario Bros." movie is actually more of a Nintendo movie and sees the introduction of a character from another franchise into the Mario universe? Now that would be thrilling.
What has the cast said about The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2?
Unsurprisingly, everyone involved in the first movie is on board with returning for a sequel. Charlie Day even spoke to ComicBook.com about wanting a "Luigi's Mansion" movie, which would be based on the popular video game series about the Mario brother with a green hat fighting off ghosts in a spooky mansion.
Then there's Jack Black. The superstar is not only on board, he is openly campaigning to get a sequel made and has his own ideas on how to pivot away from Mario. In a rather chaotic, slightly bizarre interview with /Film, Black talked about his hope to title the next movie "Bowser's Revenge." He also wants to center the movie on Bowser being upset about the events of the first film, with a meta twist.
During the interview, Black even showed us a song he wrote earlier in the day, from Bowser's perspective, that is all about King Koopa being angry that the Academy snubbed "Peaches" (his delightful song from the first "Super Mario Bros. Movie"). It wasn't even on the Oscars shortlist!
A meta sequel that is all about Bowser recognizing he is in a movie and then declaring war on the Academy over a song would be utterly hilarious. It also wouldn't be entirely out of left field for Nintendo.