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Mario Bros. Set to Jump to Big Screen in Movie Deal with Universal’s Illumination

Nintendo franchise has long been tempting to Hollywood, but videogame films have a poor record

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The dozens of Super Mario Brothers games and their spin-offs are widely believed to be the best-selling videogame franchise ever.Photo: Hitoshi Yamada/Zuma Press

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 CMCSA -2.77%decrease; red down pointing triangle Universal Pictures, is close to an agreement with Nintendo Co. NTDOY -0.37%decrease; red down pointing triangle 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.

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