The box-office success of Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has just paved the way for another Nintendo character. Yep, the word on the street suggests that both production companies are planning to bring the Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario’s love interest, Princess Peach, to the big screen. Read on to catch the full tea below.
Princess Peach’s solo movie is reportedly in the works
As shared on X by ToonHive, Illumination has already started work on the upcoming movie. The accidental revelation comes from a senior character rig designer at the company’s Paris studio. They posted on LinkedIn about working on an “Untitled P.P. movie.” A known insider later re-shared the designer’s update online, writing, “The Princess Peach movie is seemingly being re-designed right now at Illumination.”
According to the designer’s LinkedIn profile, they began working on this project in April 2026. Before this, they were part of another project titled “Untitled P.O. movie,” which concluded around the same time. Meanwhile, the announcement comes a little over a month after the release of the third feature-length Mario movie.
Spearheaded by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and made with a $110 million budget, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie grossed approximately $899 million worldwide in its first five weekends. Given the success, a solo cinematic debut for Princess Peach feels like the natural next step for the franchise.
Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, Princess Peach made her debut in the 1985 Super Mario Bros. video game as Princess Toadstool. Her name draws from the fact that she lives in a castle with toads, who are supporting characters in the games/franchise. So far, Peach has appeared as the female lead and Mario’s flame in multiple Mario games and movies.
Usually, she’s a damsel in distress who gets abducted by Bowser until Mario arrives and saves the day in most games. But later games in the series have expanded her role to that of a playable character. She has even got her solo games, including Princess Toadstool’s Castle Run, Super Princess Peach, and Princess Peach: Showtime!
The character is featured in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), with Anya Taylor-Joy lending her voice. Despite mixed reviews because of her limited arc, critics have recognized Peach as one of the most iconic female characters in video game history. Do you think Princess Peach deserves a solo venture? Tell us in the comments.
