In the age of supersized intellectual properties, it was only a matter of time before Super Mario Bros. got a new big-screen treatment. According to The Wall Street Journal, Illumination Entertainment is closing in on a deal with Nintendo to make the first big adaptation of the property since 1993’s live-action movie Super Mario Brothers starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. Illumination makes animated movies for Universal, and is responsible for Despicable Me, Minions, and The Secret Life of Pets, meaning the new Mario movie would also be animated. WSJ reports that the deal has been in the works for more than a year now, and it comes after Nintendo reached an agreement to incorporate Mario characters into Universal theme parks. Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto will reportedly serve as a producer on the movie, but both companies declined to comment when asked by the Journal.
