Miyamoto: Wario May Appear, Dirty Jokes Banned

Shigeru Miyamoto told Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri that Wario could appear in a future Mario film and that he has banned “dirty jokes” from the films to keep the humor suitable for children. He described children as “adults, they just don’t have as much knowledge yet,” and added the team will emphasize action and broadly accessible humor rather than crude gags.

Rumors that Wario appeared as a secondary antagonist in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie proved unfounded. Miyamoto did not rule out the character for later installments and noted the production included many franchise references that could support future appearances by additional characters.

Miyamoto discussed how the Galaxy film was adapted for Japanese audiences. Unlike the first Mario movie, its Japanese dialogue was not a direct translation from English; the lines were rebuilt so conversations would feel natural to Japanese viewers.

Miyamoto is Nintendo’s veteran game designer and creative lead on the Mario franchise. Chris Meledandri is the founder and CEO of Illumination. The two have worked together on the Mario films, guiding choices about tone, action and characters.

Fans continue to speculate about other adaptations such as a Luigi’s Mansion film or appearances by characters like Waluigi. Miyamoto offered no concrete plans or timeline for future character appearances beyond saying Wario “is not ruled out.”