14-05-2025
NBCUniversal Just Leaked the Name of the Super Mario Movie Sequel
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a smash hit when it was released in 2023, with the film quickly becoming the highest grossing video game film adaptation and the first ever film based on a video game to bring in over $1 billion at the box office. The movie ended on a tease for a sequel, which was subsequently confirmed by Nintendo and Universal to be in production in 2024 — and now we finally know its name.
In a corporate press release revealing its slate of content for 2025, NBCUniversal revealed that a host of future movies would be coming to its streaming service Peacock immediately after their theatrical release. Among them were films including Megan 2.0, How to Train Your Dragon, and Bad Guys 2, but a few others were seemingly left in by mistake, including one big one.
A stunned Mario and a smiling Toad stand in the middle of a mushroom forest in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
A stunned Mario and a smiling Toad stand in the middle of a mushroom forest in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
NBC Universal
What is the Mario Movie Sequel Called?
According to the press release – which has since been edited to remove mention of Mario and a few other films – the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be titled "Super Mario World":
An exciting range of films from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination were presented, including Megan 2.0, Nobody 2, Bad Guys 2, How to Train Your Dragon, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Black Phone 2, HIM, The Phoenician Scheme, Super Mario World, Shrek, and Minions.
The name is an homage to the fourth mainline Super Mario Bros. game, also called Super Mario World, which was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990 in Japan and 1991 in the US. The game is considered one of the greatest video games ever made, and is remembered fondly by fans to this day.
Super Mario World ties in to the tease at the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, too — the game was the first to feature Mario's trusty steed, a dinosaur named Yoshi, who hatches from an egg in the game. The same egg was seen in the post-credits scene in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, leading many to believe that the film's sequel would heavily feature the dinosaur companion.
Super Mario World Release Date
Nintendo and Universal revealed in a Mario Day stream in 2024 that Super Mario World would be released on April 3, 2026 in the US and in most countries globally, with a few additional territories getting the film later in April and May.
Like The Super Mario Bros. Movie before it, Super Mario World will be animated by Minions studio Illumination and produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Nintendo representative director Shigeru Miyamoto. The film will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, and written by Matthew Fogel, all of whom held similar positions in the production of the first film.
The news comes after Nintendo revealed the release date for its live-action The Legend of Zelda movie, which is currently in production under Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment, with each financing 50% of the production. No cast has been announced for the film, but Spider-Man veteran Avi Arad will be acting as producer alongside Miyamoto-san, and Maze Runner director Wes Ball will be directing the film.
