Following the first film’s success, The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is shooting for the stars, according to star Chris Pratt, and its reported ambition is great news for the franchise. The 2023 animated adventure comedy film, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and written by Matthew Fogel, adapted characters from Nintendo’s Mario video game franchise (like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Donkey Kong, etc.) and told Mario’s origin story. However, The Super Mario Bros. Movie also left the door wide open for various spinoffs and sequels, meaning that it could be the start of a wildly popular cinematic universe.
Although not much is known about the sequel other than The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2‘s release date, teases from the first film and comments from cast members can inform what’s to come in the upcoming story. Of course, most of the voice cast of The Super Mario Bros. Movie is expected to return, like Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. As for the story, Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s post-credits scenes indicate that the sequel will introduce Yoshi, but Pratt’s comments suggest the second film has many more surprises in store.
During an interview with Screen Rant, The Super Mario Bros. Movie star Chris Pratt teased plans for the sequel. When asked about what’s to come in the second film, the Mario voice actor said:
Given the first movie’s success (The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $1.36 billion at the box office), Illumination and Nintendo’s decision to go forward with a sequel was a no-brainer. However, the billion-dollar film also informed the studios that they could make a lot of money by taking what The Super Mario Bros. Movie established and turn it into a Nintendo Cinematic Universe, similar to what Iron Man did for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, Pratt’s quote about a Nintendo Cinematic Universe isn’t surprising, but it confirms the probability of a Super Smash Bros. adaptation.
The best and easiest way to kickstart the Nintendo Cinematic Universe in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is for the sequel to adapt Super Smash Bros. The upcoming second film could introduce several Super Smash Bros. characters, like Yoshi, Kirby, and so much more. Adapting the crossover platform fighting game series for the big screen as soon as possible allows the producers to develop several spinoffs with the characters they introduce, making it easier to officially establish the Nintendo Cinematic Universe.
One of the Nintendo IPs Chris Pratt mentioned when asked about the sequel was The Legend of Zelda. If a Super Smash Bros. film adaptation included characters such as Link and Princess Zelda, Illumination and Nintendo could easily go forward with a Legend of Zelda spinoff since it would be the most likely adaptation next within this cinematic universe. Even a brief Super Smash Bros. sequence in The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 could set up a Legend of Zelda film and officially launch the Nintendo Cinematic Universe.