Nintendo announces Super Mario movie in partnership with Illumination
Animation studio behind Despicable Me and Minions franchises to co-produce with Shigeru Miyamoto
Nintendo's movie aspirations are to become a reality following an announcement that the platform holder has partnered with animation company Illumination.
As confirmed by Business Wire, Nintendo and Illumination have reached an agreement to develop and animated film based on the world of Super Mario.
Talks have reportedly been ongoing for over a year as Nintendo negotiated a framework that provided enough creative control.
The project will be produced by Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, and Shigeru Miyamoto, co-representative director of Nintendo.
The film will be co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and distributed theatrically worldwide by Universal.
It has been over 20 years since the universally-panned Super Mario Bros. movie bombed in theatres, but Nintendo's return to movies has been hotly anticipated nonetheless.
The partnership between Nintendo and Illumination is brimming with potential. Nintendo is riding high from the success of the Switch and Super Mario Odyssey, while Illumination is responsible for the Despicable Me and Minions franchises, which include two of the top-four grossing animated films of all time at $5.7 billion worldwide.