With both his and his genre companion’s franchises thriving on screen, Ben Schwartz is weighing in on a potential Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Smash Bros. movie crossover. The video game franchise helmed by Nintendo is renowned for crossing over the publisher’s various properties into an arena brawler, with the blue speedster hedgehog joining the fray for the first time in 2008’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Schwartz has led the charge on the Sonic movie franchise voicing the titular character, having gotten started just ahead of rival game franchise Super Mario finding success on the big screen with the Chris Pratt-led movie.
During a recent interview with Variety to discuss the newly released Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Schwartz was asked about the possibility of crossing over his franchise for a Super Smash Bros. movie. The star began by praising Pratt’s work in the animated Mario movie, while also acknowledging the interviewer’s mention of the Olympic Games crossover titles between the two, though sharing a bigger hope for the battle royale crossover to happen, save for the one major hurdle it’d face:
There’s two things I would love. I love Chris Pratt. I think he’s amazing, and he plays Mario — which we probably shouldn’t talk about in this interview — but the Olympic Games is great. What I really think could be bananas is if we get a Super Smash Bros. spinoff, but that would take so many different studios being kind to each other at the same time.
Schwartz would go on to note that, in spite of his grander hopes, he’s “concentrating” on the continued growth of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, expressing his hope to get upwards of six movies. He did, however, acknowledge that with the success of the Detective Pikachu movie, the chances of a Super Smash Bros. movie crossover are “getting closer” to becoming a reality. Check out the rest of what Schwartz shared below:
But the idea that we get to build our own franchise that lives on its own, and we have so many characters within this franchise, that we can do three, four, five, six — that’s what I’m concentrating on and that’s what I love. If you want to have a battle royale with a bunch of people we all love in video games, because I’m a video game nerd, I would not be against it. I would see if Paramount would let me go play. But I think that right now, it’s Sonic 3 and if we can get to Sonic 4, we have so much stuff we want to explore. We’re getting closer. There’s a Pikachu movie that already exists. So if you can get all these studios that oftentimes compete with each other to make the same movie and somehow split the profits, that would be wonderful.
What This Means For A Super Smash Bros. Movie’s Chances
There Are Indeed Numerous Hurdles To Overcome
As Schwartz notes, the difference in studios will be one of the biggest hurdles to making a Super Smash Bros. movie happen. The Sonic the Hedgehog adaptations are produced and distributed by Paramount, while Detective Pikachu made by Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros, Pratt’s Super Mario and its upcoming sequel are both from Universal Pictures and the in-development Legend of Zelda live-action movie is set up at Sony Pictures. While Nintendo still ultimately holds the rights to Mario, Zelda and many other characters, the screen rights do make things more complicated.
The other potential challenge for a Super Smash Bros. movie being made would be coming up with a story that makes sense for the various franchises to collide in the battle royale. Both Brawl and Ultimate did introduce story modes for players to go through, though still didn’t really explain the reason for the crossovers. While the multiverse story formula has become a popular one in recent cinema thanks to both the Marvel Cinematic and DC Extended Universes, as well as the Oscar-winning success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, it may instead alienate fans of every franchise involved.
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Ultimately, the best thing a Super Smash Bros. movie has going for it is that the various adaptations that could make up the crossover are enjoying major highs. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has seen the highest reviews for the franchise yet, holding an 86% “Certified Fresh” approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as set a record for the best Thursday night preview. The Super Mario Bros. Movie also overcame its mixed reviews to become the second-highest-grossing movie of 2023 behind Barbie, while Detective Pikachu, on its release, was the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all-time before being surpassed by Mario.
Our Take On A Super Smash Bros. Movie Happening
It’s Far Too Soon, But Could Be A Lot Of Fun
As it currently stands, the chances of a Super Smash Bros. movie crossover happening do seem kind of low, primarily due to Nintendo’s franchise rights being split across multiple film studios. Plus, with the Sonic the Hedgehog, Detective Pikachu and Legend of Zelda movies being in live-action, the animated world of The Super Mario Bros. Movie presents a tonal challenge. The other major thing is that, since the latter three only have one movie under their belts, they still would need a lot of worldbuilding to set up the crossover.
Sonic the Hedgehog is also ahead of the group with a fourth movie confirmed for a Spring 2027 release.
All that being said, a Super Smash Bros. movie could still be a very fun idea for studios to explore in the future. Seeing the worlds of Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog collide in the vein of a younger demographic-targeting Freddy vs. Jason could be a nostalgic treat for longtime fans of the various franchises, while also leading to some of the most visually stunning action set pieces.
Source: Variety
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Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog is a multimedia franchise that began with Sonic the Hedgehog’s release for the Sega Genesis in 1991. The franchise follows the adventures of the titular Blue Blur, Sonic, as he fights the nefarious Dr. Eggman to protect his friends, family, and the world. The series has expanded into several video games, multiple comic book series, television shows, and a Hollywood feature film series.
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Mario jumps to the big screen in The Super Mario Bros Movie, directed by Teen Titans Go! collaborators Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and more appear in this animated comedy that pits the characters in an all-new adventure set in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond.
