The upcoming Super Mario Bros. Illumination could reintroduce a 36-year-old character from one of Nintendo’s very first mascot games, it has been claimed.

That’s according to comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco, who appeared on the Bertcast podcast over the weekend and claimed he had a voice role in the animated film.

“I’m in the Super Mario Bros. movie, an animated movie,” he said. “I play Spike, their boss.”

As pointed out @ Sponge2L, ‘Foreman Spike’ was a character from the NES and the 1985 Wrecking Crew arcade game. In the game, players control Mario as Foreman Spike attempts to disrupt him by knocking over objects and knocking him off the field. of game.

Foreman Spike later appeared in the Japan-only sequel, Wrecking Crew ’98 for Super Famicom.

If correct, Spike’s presence in the Super Mario Bros. is the first clue of the direction of the film. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said in January 2020 that development of the animated film “is progressing for a theatrical release scheduled around 2022”.

In May 2020, a source close to Illumination told Deadline that the film’s progress continued smoothly despite the COVID-19 pandemic, as remote working was already an established practice at the studio.

Chris Meledandri, US film producer and CEO of Illumination, was appointed Nintendo’s new external director in May 2021. Meledandri is currently producing the Super Mario film alongside Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto.

Furukawa recently reported that Nintendo is exploring the possibility of creating more animated content featuring its other game series.

The upcoming Super Mario Bros. Illumination could reintroduce a 36-year-old character from one of Nintendo’s very first mascot games, it has been claimed.

That’s according to comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco, who appeared on the Bertcast podcast over the weekend and claimed he had a voice role in the animated film.

“I’m in the Super Mario Bros. movie, an animated movie,” he said. “I play Spike, their boss.”

As pointed out @ Sponge2L, ‘Foreman Spike’ was a character from the NES and the 1985 Wrecking Crew arcade game. In the game, players control Mario as Foreman Spike attempts to disrupt him by knocking over objects and knocking him off the field. of game.

Foreman Spike later appeared in the Japan-only sequel, Wrecking Crew ’98 for Super Famicom.

If correct, Spike’s presence in the Super Mario Bros. is the first clue of the direction of the film. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said in January 2020 that development of the animated film “is progressing for a theatrical release scheduled around 2022”.

In May 2020, a source close to Illumination told Deadline that the film’s progress continued smoothly despite the COVID-19 pandemic, as remote working was already an established practice at the studio.

Chris Meledandri, US film producer and CEO of Illumination, was appointed Nintendo’s new external director in May 2021. Meledandri is currently producing the Super Mario film alongside Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto.

Furukawa recently reported that Nintendo is exploring the possibility of creating more animated content featuring its other game series.