By Ben Fritz and Takashi Mochizuki
Mario and Luigi are heading to the big screen in one of the highest-profile licensing deals by a Hollywood studio in years.
Illumination Entertainment, which makes animated films for Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures, is close to an agreement with Nintendo Co. to make an animated "Super Mario Bros." movie based on the 32-year-old videogame series about a pair of sibling plumbers who fight evil turtles and mushrooms in a fantasy kingdom, said people with knowledge of the discussions.
The most complicated issue in the negotiations between Illumination and Nintendo has been making the Japanese videogame company feel confident it will be involved enough in the creative process, said one person close to the talks. Nintendo's creative guru, Shigeru Miyamoto, who created Mario Bros., has been part of the talks and likely will be a producer on the movie, along with Mr. Meledandri, this person said.
The agreement could allow Illumination to make multiple "Super Mario" movies, though only one is currently planned, this person added. It would be animated by Illumination's Paris studio Mac Guff and is in the early stages of development, meaning it likely wouldn't come out for several years.
