The sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is based on the 2007 game and its 2010 follow-up, with directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic returning alongside screenwriter Matthew Fogel. The film is projected to top its predecessor’s opening weekend, with a $160 million-plus five-day domestic opening and over $350 million worldwide. That trajectory reflects how aggressively Nintendo and Illumination have expanded the roster, as a core cast of returning favorites is now flanked by an ensemble of new characters pulling from across the broader Nintendo catalog.
1) Mario (Chris Pratt)
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Chris Pratt remains the franchise’s anchor, reprising the Brooklyn plumber role he originated in 2023. Pratt’s casting was the most polarizing decision of the first film, drawing immediate skepticism from audiences who had grown up with Charles Martinet’s high-pitched game voice. The finished performance won most of that audience over, delivering a working-class heroism that grounded the Mushroom Kingdom’s absurdity in something recognizable. Genre fans know Pratt primarily as Peter Quill in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, a decade-long run in the MCU that established his template for playing a comedic lead navigating impossible cosmic stakes, and for his work in Jurassic World.
2) Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy)
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The narrative structure of the first film deliberately dismantled the traditional damsel-in-distress trope, establishing the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom as a highly capable warrior and political leader. Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) returns to the forefront of the action, utilizing her tactical intelligence and athletic prowess to navigate the hazards of the cosmos. Known for her roles in The Queen’s Gambit and Furiosa: A Mad Max Story, Taylor-Joy brings a regal yet fiercely independent vocal performance to the role, perfectly balancing diplomatic grace with combat readiness. By maintaining strong female characters at the center of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the studio reinforces a commitment to dynamic character development.
3) Luigi (Charlie Day)
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The contrast between the two titular brothers of the Mario Bros. movies remains a foundational element of the franchise’s comedic appeal, and Charlie Day’s frantic take on Luigi perfectly anchors that dynamic. Best known for his manic energy in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and his role as Dr. Newton Geiszler in Pacific Rim, Day channels his neurotic comedic timing to capture the high-strung plumber. Throughout the first movie, the green-clad brother spent a significant portion of the runtime separated from his sibling, relegated to a captive role in the Dark Lands. As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie shifts the action toward zero-gravity environments and alien landscapes, the narrative must utilize these sprawling settings to give Luigi the expanded screen time he deserves.
4) Bowser (Jack Black)
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If the first film had a breakout star, it was undoubtedly Jack Black’s Bowser. Balancing a terrifying presence with a hopeless, piano-ballad-singing romanticism, Black’s performance of “Peaches” became a legitimate chart-topping phenomenon. Now relegated to a tiny cage in Peach’s castle at the start of the sequel, Bowser’s inevitable escape into the cosmos promises a more ambitious scale of villainy. Black, a veteran of high-octane comedies such as School of Rock and known as voice-acting royalty for his work on Kung Fu Panda, brings a theatricality that is essential for a villain who wants to conquer the entire universe.
5) Toad (Keegan-Michael Key)
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Keegan-Michael Key’s Toad served as the high-energy bridge between the audience and the Mushroom Kingdom’s eccentricities in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While the first film established him as an aspiring adventurer, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie positions him as a more seasoned guide for Mario’s trek through the stars. Key, legendary for his character work on Key & Peele, utilizes his immense vocal range to ensure Toad remains more than just comic relief. His role is expected to expand as he’s rumored to organize the “Toad Brigade,” a staple of the Galaxy games that provides much-needed logistical support across the various planetoids.
6) Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson)
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Kamek (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) reprises the role of Bowser’s scheming Magikoopa advisor, a character whose function in the first film was to articulate the villain’s power and serve as his bureaucratic foil. Richardson stands among animation’s most prolific voice actors, accumulating credits that include Gantu in Lilo & Stitch, Principal Lewis in American Dad, Tombstone in The Spectacular Spider-Man, and dozens of additional productions across three decades of genre television. His sustained work across The Boondocks and the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series demonstrated a range from menacing authority figures to comedic supporting players that make Kamek one of the better-cast roles in the entire franchise.
7) Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson)
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Perhaps the most anticipated addition to the cinematic universe is Princess Rosalina, the ethereal protector of the Lumas and commander of the Comet Observatory. In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Brie Larson steps into the role, bringing the same mix of cosmic authority and quiet strength she perfected in Captain Marvel. As the “Space Mother” to the star-like Lumas, Rosalina serves as Mario’s mentor in the games, explaining the mechanics of the Power Stars and the threat Bowser poses to the fabric of space-time. Larson’s casting signals a shift toward a more grander narrative tone for the franchise in theaters.
8) Yoshi (Donald Glover)
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Yoshi (voiced by Donald Glover) is one of the more unexpected casting choices in recent animated film history. The character’s design was leaked through a tie-in Old Spice promotion and a box of Pillsbury cookie dough before his official January 2026 reveal, and Glover’s involvement wasn’t confirmed until the March 2026 final trailer. Audiences know Glover as Troy Barnes from Community, the beloved sitcom that gave him his breakout role and remains a touchstone of television. Glover has also played Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where he stepped into one of the original trilogy’s most iconic roles with ease. He also played Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming, a casting choice that itself sparked the fan campaign to make Miles Morales canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
9) Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie)
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Bowser Jr. (voiced by Benny Safdie) is the sequel’s primary antagonist, and his casting is the most unconventional decision the franchise has made. Safdie is known almost entirely as a filmmaker, as he co-directed Good Time and Uncut Gems alongside his brother Josh, establishing a reputation for maximalist genre filmmaking that places morally compromised characters in escalating spirals of bad decisions. This is his first animated film, making Bowser Jr. genuinely uncharted territory — though the character’s impulsive, entitled volatility maps naturally onto the kinds of desperate protagonists Safdie has spent his career directing.
10) Fox McCloud (Glen Powell)
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In a move that confirms Nintendo’s intentions for a shared cinematic universe, Glen Powell joins the cast of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as the ace pilot Fox McCloud. Fresh off the massive success of Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, Powell is the quintessential “cocky pilot.” His arrival suggests that Mario’s journey through the stars will eventually cross paths with the Lylat System, the setting of the Star Fox games. Fox’s role is rumored to be a significant one in the sequel, but more importantly, his inclusion sets the stage for a Super Smash Bros. style crossover that fans have dreamed of for decades.
11) Honey Queen (Issa Rae)
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Taking a deep cut from the Super Mario Galaxy lore, Issa Rae voices the Honey Queen, the massive sovereign of the Honeyhop Galaxy. Rae built her profile through Insecure, the HBO series she created, wrote, and starred in across five seasons. Her most famous credit, however, is that of Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In the ames, the Honey Queen’s interaction with Mario provides a moment of levity and world-building, showcasing the sheer diversity of life forms existing outside the Mushroom Kingdom’s atmosphere.
12) Wart (Luis Guzmán)
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Wart (Luis Guzmán) completes the cast with one of Nintendo’s most obscure villains, a frog-like antagonist who originated in Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1988 and has barely surfaced in the franchise since. The final trailer of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie gave audiences their first proper look at Wart’s big-screen appearance, confirming that the sequel is fully committed to digging deep into Nintendo history for its supporting players. Audiences know Guzmán best as Gomez Addams in Tim Burton’s Wednesday.
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