Fans of Princess Peach can expect some major changes to her character in the upcoming movie adaptation, The Super Mario Bros. The directors have revealed why the popular character voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy will no longer be the damsel in distress, as well as what other character changes fans can expect.
As revealed by a recent comicbook.com article, film directors have explained their decision to make Princess Peach more powerful and capable than her original game persona. “She’s the monarch who leads this kingdom of hapless, adorable Toads. We were thinking how strong that person would need to be to protect those people,” co-director Aaron Horvath said. “All that informed the idea for Peach’s character in our movie.” In the games, Princess Peach is usually the one who needs rescuing by Mario (who will be voiced in the upcoming film by Jurassic World star Chris Pratt). Rather than Princess Peach being the damsel in distress, the role will now go to Mario’s brother, Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day). “It’s Mario’s goal to save his brother from Bowser’s clutches. He has to go on this epic adventure to do that,” Horvath and fellow director, Michael Jelenic, revealed. “So Luigi, who's a famously nervous, anxious character, finds himself in the worst possible predicament: having to survive interrogations with Bowser, and make it through that gauntlet."
The new film adaptation will also see changes to other characters of the original Nintendo games, including a more in-depth back story to Mario and new motivations for the villain. The film will seek to provide more information on Mario’s career as a plumber, presenting viewers with a look into his and Luigi’s origins that the games’ simple biographies and catchphrases could not show. Bowser, who will be voiced by School of Rock’s (2003) Jack Black, will also likely be shown to be more than the evil mastermind fans have come to know him as.
The Upcoming Film Will Respect Nintendo Lore
The movie will, however, adhere to Nintendo game lore. Already, trailers have revealed that some of the key scenes of the video games will be present in the movie. For example, it is likely that the trailer depicting Mario and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) are facing off on a stage from the Super Smash Bros. games, whilst another shows the characters racing on the classic ‘rainbow road.’ Fans will also see icons from the games, such as the Piranha Plants and gold coins.
The Super Mario Bros. will be adapted from the Nintendo game franchise. The franchise, which first began with the release of Super Mario Bros. in October 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then, the franchise has continued expanding with over two hundred games, with Super Mario 3D world being the latest release for the Nintendo Switch in 2021. The film adaptation is written by Matthew Fogel and will also star the voices of Keegan-Michael Key (as Toad), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong), Sebastian Maniscalco (Spike), Charles Martinet, Kevin Michael Richardson, Khary Payton (Penguin King), and Eric Bauza.
The Super Mario Bros. will premiere in theatres on April 5. In the meantime, check out the official trailer for the film below: