Movies based off of video games have had a somewhat troubled history. And while there are countless projects that failed to successful adapt a game for the big screen, there have been some success stories lately including the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, Detective Pikachu, and Mortal Kombat. The next upcoming video game movie is The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which will hit theaters shortly courtesy of Illumination Entertainment. And if the upcoming animated blockbuster gets a sequel, there are 5 iconic Nintendo characters that I think need to be introduced in a significant way.
Entire generations of gamers have been brought up with Nintendo iconography, and the company has introduced a number of iconic characters throughout its decades providing new titled. The Super Mario Bros. Movie including favorites like Mario (infamously voiced by Chris Pratt) as well as Luigi, Peach, DK, and Bowser. But there is a large pool of characters that the burgeoning franchise might be able to bring into the fun. Below are my personal choices, which I think would both please hardcore fans and open up some new narrative possibilities with a possible animate sequel. Let’s a-go.
Daisy
If there’s one thing Nintendo is really great at, it’s iconography. And their beloved characters have therefore appeared in a number of games throughout the years. Daisy is no exception, her first appearance dates back to 1989’s Super Mario Land for the Game Boy. In it we were introduced to the nation of Sarasaland, where Daisy is a princess. While she resembled Princess Peach (who is played by Super Mario Bros. Movie by Anya Taylor-Joy), she’s usually far more bombastic and tomboyish than her counterpart.
Rather than making Princess Peach a victim who needs to be rescued, The Super Mario Bros. Movie shows her as a capable leader of the Mushroom Kingdom. And the only thing that would make this better is giving her a bestie in the form of Princess Daisy. There are a ton of hardcore Daisy fans within the Nintendo fandom, and smart money says she’s going to be at the top of people’s list if a sequel is ultimately green lit. But who should voice her?
Yoshi
Yoshi is a Nintendo character that goes way back, first appearing in 1990’s Super Mario World. While he was originally a mount for Mario to use throughout the game, the little green guy and his relatives ended up becoming independent characters that are mainstays of games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Party. And as such, Yoshi seems like a super obvious choice to bring into a possible sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Honestly, it’s a little surprising that Yoshi wasn’t a shoe-in for a main character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. But perhaps the folks at Illumination wanted to lave some options if the movie does well and ends up inspiring a sequel. Alternatively I’d love to see Yoshi get its own movie a la Yoshi’s Story from the Nintendo 64. Either way, fans would no doubt love to see the fruit eating green guy show up on the big screen sooner rather than later.
Toadette
Toadette is one of the newer characters on this list, but that doesn’t make her any less deserving of getting a role in a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. She showed up for the first time in 2003’s Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, which was a super popular title for the Nintendo Gamecube. Since then she’s become a regular in the games, either as a playable character or a NPC like in Mario Party. So she’s got a fair amount of fans.
The first movie’s trailers showed off a ton of Toads, who are ruled by Princess Peach. And as such, it seems like bringing in Toadette could happen easily if a sequel ends up happening from Illumination. Actor Keegan-Michael Key voiced the primary Toad in the first Super Mario Bros. movie, and it would no doubt be fun to see him interact with Toadette in a follow-up. Fingers crossed that a sequel actually happens; it’ll likely all depend on how the box office performance. But with both kids and adults invested in the iconography, it might do well. Even if there’s backlash about Chris Pratt voicing Mario.
Wario
Of course, Nintendo characters aren’t all heroes. Jack Black’s Bowser made a serious impact when he debuted in the movie’s trailer, and he’ll presumably be the primary antagonist of the Super Mario Bros. Movie. And if the burgeoning franchise is going to expand with a sequel, then there’s going to need to be more antagonists joining the fray. For me, the most obvious to include in a possible big screen sequel is Wario, who is in many ways the antithesis of Chris Pratt’s mustachioed plumber that we know and love.
Wario debuted in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, which arrived on the Game Boy in 1992. He was an antagonist for Mario and his friends, although he’s since become a fully formed character himself. In addition to appearing in titled like Mario Kart and Mario Party, Wario also got to lead his own story in games like Wario World, Wario Land, and the WarioWare series. Rather than finding a new actor to voice him in a Super Mario Bros. sequel, I actually think it would be more fun to have Chris Pratt voice that character as well. The Guardians actor has the pressure of playing the movie’s beloved protagonist, why not raise the stakes?
Rosalina
This one is admittedly a little bit personal. Because in games like Mario Kart, Mario Golf, and Mario Party I am definitely a Rosalina main. And while Daisy is a more recognizable character, I’d also love to see her in on the fun and working alongside Princess Peach.
Rosalina first showed up in Super Mario Galaxy, and has since been adapted as one of the most common playable character for players in Nintendo Games. Indeed, Daisy has been left out of certain recent titles in favor of including the magical queen of the cosmos. And so while she hasn’t been around for nearly as long as other characters on the list, she seems like an obvious choice to pop up in a Super Mario Bros. movie.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie will arrive in theaters on April 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.