The Super Mario Galaxy Movie drops Wednesday. April 1. Yeah, I know that date is suspicious but this is real. Illumination's sequel to the first Mario movie has been doing press this week and a few things came out that are worth knowing before you decide whether to buy a ticket.

The Cast, Quick Version

Chris Pratt is back as Mario. Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key all returning. Charlie Day back as Luigi. New to this one: Brie Larson as Rosalina and Donald Glover as Yoshi.

Charles Martinet, who's voiced Mario in the actual games since basically forever (the "Mamma Mia!" you first heard in Super Mario 64? That was him), isn't voicing him here. Just noting the gap exists.

Donald Glover Called His Shot

This is the part I found actually interesting. Donald Glover didn't wait for Illumination to call him. He contacted Chris Pratt directly to get the Yoshi role. That's not how casting usually works. Most actors wait for an offer. Glover wanted Yoshi specifically enough to go around the normal process.

Whether that produces a good Yoshi is a different question. But the hustle is noted.

Fox McCloud Is in This Movie

Star Fox's Fox McCloud shows up in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Confirmed.

This is a bigger deal than it sounds. The first movie established Nintendo wants these films to build a shared universe. Fox McCloud appearing in a Mario movie is the clearest signal yet that they're actually committing to it. Star Fox hasn't had a game since Star Fox Zero in 2016. Put Fox in front of a generation of kids who've never touched those games and something interesting might happen eventually on the game side.

One possibility is we get a proper Star Fox revival off the back of this. Or Nintendo treats him as a cameo and moves on. Hard to say right now.

Jack Black Wants to Be in a Yakuza Movie

During the press run, Jack Black addressed Sega directly asking to be cast in a Yakuza adaptation. Out loud. To press. Yakuza already has live-action TV adaptations, including a three-episode series on Amazon Prime, so this isn't some wild idea without precedent.

Jack Black doing Yakuza is one of those things that sounds insane until you think about it for ten seconds. Then it sounds exactly right. Sega should probably call him back.

Charlie Day Wants More Luigi

Day said he's interested in a Luigi's Mansion spin-off. Which yeah, actually. Luigi's Mansion as a standalone movie where Luigi is the main character makes sense. The games are already more atmospheric and horror-adjacent than mainline Mario. Charlie Day doing scared-but-trying-his-best in a haunted house movie sounds genuinely watchable.

Brie Larson's Credentials

Larson is voicing Rosalina here. Back in 2020 she told a story on her YouTube channel about kicking out an ex-boyfriend over Super Mario Galaxy. The original. So she's voicing a character in the sequel to the game she reportedly ended a relationship over. Good bit of trivia for the ride home.

The Bottom Line

If the first movie worked for you, this one has the same core cast plus some interesting additions and a setting that should look better animated than Mushroom Kingdom did. Fox McCloud is the most interesting story angle. Jack Black wanting into Yakuza is the funniest thing to come out of the whole press cycle.

It's in theaters Wednesday.

Source: Kotaku