It sounds like a new 'Super Mario' movie is on the way from the team behind 'Despicable Me'

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November 16, 2017 4:28 PM

Someone get John Leguizamo on the phone!

A new "Super Mario" movie is reportedly in the works.
The movie is said to be an animated collaboration between Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo.
Nintendo and Universal haven't announced anything officially.

Nintendo's most important character, Super Mario, is reportedly headed back to the silver screen.

Super Mario is set to star in a new film created by the studio behind massive animated hits like "Despicable Me" and "Minions," according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The studio making the film is said to be Illumination Entertainment, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures/NBCUniversal.

Nintendo isn't confirming or denying the report. A representative told Business Insider over email: "We have nothing to announce on this topic."

The film is described by the WSJ as "an animated 'Super Mario Bros.' movie based on the 32-year-old video game series about a pair of sibling plumbers who fight evil turtles and mushrooms in a fantasy kingdom." That's right: It's not a live-action movie, like the original "Super Mario Bros." movie.

The project has reportedly been in discussion for the past year; Illumination's Paris-based Mac Guff studio is said to be working on the film already, which is in "early stages of development."

Nintendo is notoriously protective of its franchises. Outside of animated "Pokémon" movies, and guest spots for various Nintendo characters in movies like "Pixels" and "Wreck-it Ralph," Nintendo hasn't put any of its characters in starring film roles in years.

The deal with Universal, though still a rumor, would make a lot of sense — Nintendo already has a deal with Universal to produce theme park attractions at various Universal Studios theme parks.

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