What We Know About Nintendo's Mario Movie So Far

Let’s a-go! Nintendo fans young and old got a new piece of information to further the speculation about a Super Mario movie Tuesday.

Speaking with Japanese publication Kyoto Shimbun, Nintendo’s president Tatsumi Kimishima confirmed that the company behind gaming staples such as Mario, Zelda, Kirby and Donkey Kong is indeed working towards bringing everyone’s favorite Italian plumber to the big screen.

As first reported by Game Informer, Kimishima stated that he hopes a deal will be reached soon between Nintendo and respected film studio Illumination Entertainment, the group behind the hugely successful Despicable Me series.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in November that a Mario movie may be released at some point the future, and this time around Nintendo would bring its highest-grossing character to the bring screen in an animated film as opposed to their earlier attempt at a Mario film. 1993’s truly terrible live action Super Mario Bros. proved to be such a failure that the company has yet to venture back into the film industry since.

While Kimishima’s statements do not qualify as an official announcement from the company confirming the film, it is encouraging to see a prominent member of the company so enthusiastic about the project.

He outlined a brief plan in which the film will be released with impeccable timing just prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the opening of Universal Japan’s “Super Mario Land” theme park.

While most of the film’s details remain unknown, if an upcoming Mario movie resembles anything similar in quality to any of the Despicable Me films, gamers and movie buffs alike should have something to look forward to.