Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black among the names confirmed for the new Super Mario film

The makers of the Minions take on the Mushroom Kingdom next year — and no, Charles Martinet won't be voicing Mario

Stepping into the spotlight: Nintendo's intrepid mascot Mario hits the big screen in 2022

Videogames giant, Nintendo, has revealed plans for the coming year and beyond, from new software and expansions, to multimedia projects such as merchandise and its burgeoning theme-park business.

Talismanic company creative Shigeru Miyamoto — the father of Mario, Donkey Kong and others — has revealed further information about the confirmed Super Mario animated film, to be produced by Illumination ( Despicable Me, Minions) and co-funded by Universal and Nintendo.

Miyamoto-san divulged the confirmed voice cast, and while it's heavy on crowd-pleasers, Nintendo fans were upset by one decision in particular.

Charles Martinet is a voice actor that's appeared in hundreds of films, series and videogames — but is universally recognisable as the jocular falsetto that brings Mario to life in the multi-million-selling games series — as well as the voice of his brother Luigi and twin nemeses Wario and Waluigi. 

It's impossible to imagine the Mario series without him — imagine Super Mario 64 without the big "It's-a me, Mario!", for example.

So, after more than 25 years of service, of course the titular role of the biggest Mario project to date goes to Hollywood hunk and former Parks & Recreation man-child Chris Pratt.

While the real voice of Mario has been relegated to cameos and a mystery voice role, the rest of the voice cast is shaping up relatively well.

Eternal damsel-in-distress Princess Peach will be voiced by The Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor-Joy; hapless younger brother Luigi comes by way of Charlie Day of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ; while actor/comedy metalhead Jack Black is entrusted with the role of series villain Bowser.

It looks like a full cast of characters, too: butler/explorer Toad will be voiced by comedian Keegan-Michael Key; longtime series guest Donkey Kong will be voiced by Seth Rogen; while Fred Armisen, Kevin Michael Richardson and Sebastian Maniscalco will voice Cranky Kong, Kamek and Spike respectively.

The film will be produced by Chris Meledandri of Illumination, and Shigeru Miyamoto, and directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who previously collaborated on the Teen Titans Go! franchise. The screenplay of the film will be written by Matthew Fogel, whose recent credits include The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and the upcoming Illumination film Minions: The Rise of Gru.

"We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character licensed film, but a new piece of entertainment which brings Super Mario Bros. to life on the screen, and allows everyone to enjoy whether or not they know about the game," said Miyamoto in a press release.

"The production so far is constructive and going very well, and both parties are learning a lot from each other. We humbly ask that fans wait just a little longer for the premiere, and we hope they look forward to seeing the unique characters from Super Mario Bros. on the big screen."

At least Pratt couldn't do a worse job than Bob Hoskins... could he?

• The film is slated for Holiday 2022 in the US, with EU and Japanese release dates to follow.

Live and Direct

Last night's Nintendo Direct also had plenty for videogamers to dig into, including:

• Nintendo 64 and Sega Megadrive games added to the Nintendo Switch Online service - for an extra fee
• Much-anticipated action sequel Bayonetta 3 finally confirmed for Switch next year
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land brings Nintendo's pink blob into 3D - apparently exploring a post-apocalyptic Earth in the middle of rewilding 
• Indie-gaming sensation Disco Elysium is making the jump to Switch
• Strategy role-playing sequel Triangle Strategy is shaping up to be another modern classic after a fan-informed revision process in development