Mario and Minions? Illumination to co-produce Nintendo film

Mario is getting together with the Minions. Video game company Nintendo Co. says a movie starring the plumber from the Super Mario franchise is in the works, co-produced with Chris Meledandri, the chief executive of Illumination Entertainment, the U.S. animation studio behind the popular "Despicable Me" series. Nintendo's star game designer Shigeru Miyamoto told reporters Thursday the script is mostly finished. He's promising a "fun" movie, since Meledandri shares his thinking on creative projects. The movie, two years in the making after a meeting between Meledandri and Miyamoto, is set for global distribution through Universal, which co-owns Illumination, according to the Kyoto-based owner of the Pokemon trademark and developer of the popular Switch game console.