A week before it hits theaters, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has one more piece of casting to reveal, and it’s a big one. Fox McCloud, the hero from the “Star Fox” video game franchise, is in the film.
Universal Pictures made the reveal on social media Thursday, offering a first look at the character in animated form for the sequel to the $1.3 billion-grossing 2023 film “The Super Mario Movie.”
The first “Star Fox” video game was launched on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993, but it got a huge boost in popularity when “Star Fox 64” was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997 — complete with a rumble pack to really put you in the middle of the action.
No word on whether Fox McCloud will do a barrel roll, but fans are no doubt even more enthused to see “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” now — and to see what other possible Nintendo cameos may await since this opens the door to characters not from the mainline “Super Mario” franchise appearing in the film.
Who’s next — Zelda? Metroid? Place your bets.
The film features the voices of Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Benny Safdie (Bowser Jr.), Donald Glover (Yoshi), Issa Rae (Honey Queen), Luis Guzmán (Wart), Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek) and Brie Larson (Princess Rosalina).
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” opens exclusively in theaters on April 1.
The film is co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and will be released worldwide by Universal Pictures.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is directed by returning filmmakers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, from a screenplay by returning screenwriter Matthew Fogel, with Brian Tyler returning to compose the score.
