We’re almost one year after the premiere of Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment’s Super Mario Bros. animated movie back in April 2023. Now, Nintendo has finally confirmed that there will be a new animated movie based on the world of Super Mario Bros. planned for release on 3 April 2026.

This is Miyamoto. We are now creating a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros. This film is planned for release in theaters on April 3rd, 2026 in the US and many other markets, and throughout the month of April in other territories. [1/2]

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 10, 2024

The new movie will be produced by Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, and Shigeru Miyamoto himself. It will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who oversaw The Super Mario Bros. Movie and written by Matthew Fogel, who wrote the script for that film. The film will be co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and distributed theatrically worldwide by Universal Pictures.

However, it’s currently unclear if this will be a direct sequel to 2023’s Super Mario Bros. movie or if it will be a spinoff movie. The way that the post is worded implies that this will be a spinoff, but they are promising to reveal more details in the future.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is a co-production between Illumination (Minions, Despicable Me) and Nintendo, generated over a whopping US$1.3 billion globally. It was one of the biggest movies of 2023.

It’s no surprise that Mario, one of the most iconic characters in all of gaming and pop culture, is finally the one who broke the video game curse. Not even Sonic, or the overrated Arcane or Castlevania animated shows, could achieve as much success as the Super Mario Bros. Movie. It’s a testament to Nintendo and how legendary and famous their characters are.

In the meantime, check out our review of the movie by heading over here. In other related news, Jack Black has been on a roll recently, especially with his amazing rendition of “Peaches” for the Super Mario Bros. Movie.