After turning The Super Mario Bros. Movie into a billion-dollar hit, Nintendo‘s cinematic ambitions are only getting bigger. And now, Shigeru Miyamoto says the next chapter, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is nearly complete. Speaking with Japanese lifestyle magazine Casa BRUTUS, the legendary game creator said that the sequel is already in its ‘final stages’ of production.
“We’re in the final stages now, but I think it’s going to be really fun. I usually just say, ‘We’ll keep working until it becomes fun,’ so that should tell how confident I am in it!” Miyamoto said in the interview.
Set to launch in theaters on April 3, 2026, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reunites Nintendo with Illumination, the same studio behind Minions and the first film. The teaser revealed during September 2025 Nintendo Direct showed Mario napping under a tree in the Mushroom Kingdom before the scene drifted into space. It signals that the sequel will explore the settings of the Galaxy games and possibly introduce Princess Rosalina.
Miyamoto has previously publicly described the film as the main event of the Super Mario franchise’s 40th-anniversary celebrations. He also reflected on how far the character has come since his pixel days, saying that, “Mario has finally become human,” after watching the first animated movie.
He also touched on what it takes to keep projects like this running smoothly behind the scenes. “For theme parks and films — both collaborating with many external partners — I focused on ensuring each team functioned well,” Miyamoto explained. “Many people involved tell me they want to work on the next projects, so I take that as a sign of success.”
Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, and Jack Black will reprise their roles as Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Bowser in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. With Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri once again producing alongside Miyamoto, expectations are high for another crowd-pleaser that can match, or even surpass, the original’s achievement.
