The sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie is set to be released next year, but details on the film are pretty sparse at the moment. The first movie made more than a billion dollars at the global box office, in large part due to the fact that it appealed to both newcomers as well as those who have long been passionate about Nintendo’s games. Unsurprisingly, the sequel will still try to appeal to both groups. However, a new update will be music to the ears of anyone who grew up as a Mario fan.
During the Q&A portion of Nintendo’s recent General Meeting of Shareholders, producer Chris Meledandri noted that the movie is going to make the biggest fans a priority: “We are hard at work on the next movie, and we’re working very closely with the team at Nintendo. It’s my hope that the movie will entertain and be embraced by the core fans first, but we also hope that the film will appeal to new fans who have not yet embraced Mario and the world of Nintendo,” said Meledandri.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard about The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 trying to appeal to hardcore fans of the games. In an interview with Men’s Journal last fall, Toad actor Keegan-Michael Key noted that the sequel will be bringing in “really deep cuts” in terms of new characters. It remains to be seen just who those deep cuts will be, but the Mario games have a stacked roster of characters going back four decades. There’s no shortage of characters the sequel could bring in that were absent in the first movie, and that would appeal quite a bit to the “core fans.”
The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel currently has a release date of April 3rd, 2026. That’s still pretty far away, but it will be interesting to see when the hype cycle truly begins. The voice cast for the original film was revealed during a Nintendo Direct. It’s possible history could repeat, and we could see some of the sequel’s cast members announced in an upcoming livestream from the company. It’s assumed that we’ll be seeing most of the original cast return for the sequel, though Spike actor Sebastian Maniscalco has cast doubt on whether his character will be coming back.
One of the big things Nintendo fans will want to see next year is whether a new Mario game is timed to coincide with the movie. Super Mario Bros. Wonder was released as one of the big Nintendo Switch games of 2023, just months after The Super Mario Bros. Movie made its debut in theaters. Given how well Mario games sold after the first movie’s release, it’s a safe bet Nintendo will want to have a new Mario game for 2026, presumably for Nintendo Switch 2. However, the company’s plans for next year are pretty quiet at the moment. Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer for some new details.
What do you want to see in the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Are there any specific characters you’d like to see? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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