Nintendo and Illumination just pulled the pin on a genuinely wild crossover: Fox McCloud is officially in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and he’ll be voiced by Glen Powell. Even before anyone’s heard a single line of Powell’s actual performance in the film, the internet has already started “auditioning” him via past clips—and, surprisingly, a lot of fans are buying in. With the sequel hitting theaters April 1, 2026, this late-stage reveal isn’t just a casting headline; it’s a signal flare for how big (and how weird) Nintendo’s animated universe might be willing to get.
The Big Reveal: Glen Powell Is Fox McCloud—And Fans Aren’t Mad About It
The headline news is clean and confirmed: Glen Powell—fresh off high-profile roles like Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, and also associated with The Running Man (2025)—has announced he’s voicing Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Powell revealed it himself via an Instagram video, leaning hard into the bit: he’s shown moving through a movie theater and posing in Fox’s signature look, including the character’s iconic jacket/vest. In at least one version of the announcement messaging, Powell also used the phrase “born to barrel roll,” a cheeky nod to Star Fox’s most meme-immortal line.
That self-aware energy matters, because the Mario movie casting discourse has been… let’s call it “battle-tested.” When Chris Pratt was first announced as Mario for 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the reaction was loud enough to become part of the marketing narrative. Ever since, every new casting reveal has felt like a coin flip between “that’s inspired” and “oh no, they did it again.”
This time, though? The temperature is different. Fans have been circulating clips from Powell’s previous work—some even pulling his voice acting from Family Guy—arguing that his natural delivery actually fits Fox’s vibe. The common thread in those reactions: Powell has a confident, pilot-y swagger that reads as “seasoned ace,” which is basically Fox McCloud’s entire brand identity.
And yes, the irony is delicious: Powell’s most famous modern role is in a movie about fighter pilots. You couldn’t workshop a more on-the-nose casting synergy if you tried.
Why Powell-as-Fox Feels Like a Better Fit Than Some Past Mario Movie Casting
We still haven’t heard Powell’s Fox in any official trailer footage, so nobody can honestly claim the performance is a slam dunk yet. But the early optimism isn’t coming out of nowhere.
Powell’s voice—at least in the clips fans are sharing—has a natural twang and a relaxed confidence that can sell Fox as a capable, slightly cocky space pilot without forcing a cartoonish “voice.” That’s important because one of the biggest critiques of the first film’s celebrity casting approach was that some actors didn’t seem to transform much at all. The comparison fans keep making is that Pratt’s Mario and Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong largely sounded like… Pratt and Rogen.
Fox McCloud is a different kind of character to thread into a Mario movie. He’s not a Mushroom Kingdom goofball. He’s a straight-backed, mission-briefing, “team, lock in” kind of hero—especially in the Star Fox 64 era where the series’ tone crystallized. If Powell plays him with the same “cool under pressure” energy he’s used elsewhere, Fox could land as a legit contrast to Mario’s everyman role in the chaos.
There’s also a key point that’s easy to miss if you only think about casting as “celebrity stunt”: direction is everything. Even a perfect voice on paper can fall flat if the movie funnels the character into nothing but reference lines and wink-wink fan service. The first Mario film was famously packed with nods, musical stings, and “hey, remember this?” moments. If Fox is reduced to a walking Star Fox soundboard, the casting won’t matter.
But if Nintendo and Illumination actually let Fox be Fox—competent, intense, maybe a little too cool—then Powell could be the rare celebrity pick that feels like it’s serving the character rather than swallowing it.
Fox in a Mario Galaxy Story Isn’t Random—It’s a Statement
Let’s talk about the bigger shock: Fox McCloud is in a Mario movie at all.
Fox’s inclusion was only announced very recently via official promotional art/posters released ahead of the film’s premiere. That timing sparked immediate debate: some fans were frustrated that such a left-field surprise wasn’t saved for opening night. Others argued it’s smart marketing—an “oh, you thought you’d already seen the whole movie?” reminder aimed directly at hardcore Nintendo fans.
Either way, it’s not just a cameo-level curiosity on paper. Fox is the face of a Nintendo franchise that hasn’t had a new entry since 2016’s Star Fox Zero, and his sudden placement in a major animated blockbuster sequel reads like Nintendo remembering it has more toys in the box than just Mario characters.
And thematically? Super Mario Galaxy is space. Fox is space. If you’re going to break the Mushroom Kingdom barrier, at least you’re doing it in the one Mario sub-series where a starfighter showing up doesn’t instantly feel like it wandered in from the wrong movie.
That said, Nintendo hasn’t confirmed how Fox fits into the plot, how much screen time he has, or whether other Star Fox characters (Falco, Peppy, Slippy, etc.) appear alongside him. Fans are already speculating about classic Star Fox quotes making it into the script—especially the unavoidable “Do a barrel roll,” even though that line is traditionally associated with Peppy Hare rather than Fox himself.
The Cast Is Stacked, the Release Is Imminent, and the Universe Is Expanding
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters on April 1, 2026, and it’s arriving with a cast that’s aggressively star-powered.
Returning cast members include:
- Chris Pratt as Mario
- Charlie Day as Luigi
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach
- Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
- Jack Black as Bowser
Newer additions and confirmed roles include:
- Brie Larson as Rosalina
- Donald Glover as Yoshi
- Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr.
- Glen Powell as Fox McCloud
The film is listed with a 98-minute runtime, and multiple directors are credited: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc, Fabien Polack. Matthew Fogel is credited as writer, with Chris Meledandri and Shigeru Miyamoto among the producers.
And Fox isn’t the only “wait, what?” inclusion. Pikmin have also been confirmed to appear, seemingly in a cameo capacity based on how they’ve been presented in marketing.
This is where the conversation inevitably goes: if Nintendo is comfortable dropping Star Fox and Pikmin into the Mario film universe, the gravitational pull toward a Super Smash Bros.-style crossover becomes impossible to ignore. No, nothing official has been announced on that front. But the logic is obvious, and fans are already doing the math.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day Fuel Wario/Waluigi Speculation on Late-Night TV
As if Fox McCloud wasn’t enough chaos for one marketing cycle, Chris Pratt and Charlie Day also stirred the pot during a Tonight Show appearance built around fan theories.
The setup was simple: they answered questions by pressing a “yes” button (a question block) or a “no” button (a red shell). Some theories were cleanly dismissed—like the idea of a third Mario brother. But when asked whether Wario and Waluigi appear in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Pratt and Day pressed both buttons.
That’s the kind of coy, marketing-friendly ambiguity that basically exists to set the fandom on fire. One popular interpretation is that it suggests Wario is in (or at least closer to being in) while Waluigi is not—especially since there’s been chatter around Wario’s presence via leaks and accidental listings. But the movie itself will be the final word.
Pratt also used the same talk show circuit to weigh in on a surprisingly evergreen debate: how to pronounce Mario. Pratt said, “I can confirm, as the guy, it’s maa·ree·ow.” He also noted that Benny Safdie repeatedly mispronounced Mario’s name during press, to the point where handlers had to correct it.
It’s a small anecdote, but it underscores the vibe of this entire sequel rollout: big swings, bigger personalities, and a marketing machine that’s clearly trying to keep the conversation loud right up until release week.
Why This Matters: Nintendo’s Animated Future Might Be Bigger Than Mario
Fox McCloud showing up in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie isn’t just a fun casting headline—it’s a strategic move with real implications.
Nintendo has historically been careful (sometimes painfully careful) with how its characters cross-pollinate outside games. But the success of the 2023 Mario film proved there’s a massive mainstream appetite for Nintendo’s worlds—especially when they’re packaged as family-friendly spectacle with a pop-culture megaphone.
So when Nintendo and Illumination choose to spotlight Fox in official marketing, then follow it with a celebrity casting reveal days before release, it reads like intent. They want people talking about the Nintendo part of this, not just the Mario part.
And for Star Fox fans specifically, it’s hard not to feel a jolt of hope. Fox hasn’t led a new game in a decade. A prominent role in a major movie could be nothing more than a flashy cameo—but it could also be Nintendo testing the waters for renewed interest. No new Star Fox game has been announced, and it would be irresponsible to pretend a movie appearance guarantees one. Still, the timing is the kind of thing that makes you sit up a little straighter.
At minimum, it’s a reminder that Nintendo has a deep bench—and it’s finally acting like it.
What Remains Unknown
- How big is Fox McCloud’s role? Cameo, supporting character, or something more substantial hasn’t been confirmed.
- Will other Star Fox characters appear? No official word on Falco, Peppy, Slippy, Wolf, or the Arwing crew beyond Fox.
- Will we hear Powell’s Fox in a trailer before release? As of now, his performance hasn’t been featured in publicly released footage.
- Are Wario and/or Waluigi actually in the movie? Pratt and Day teased something, but nothing is officially confirmed.
- Is this building toward a Super Smash Bros. movie? The crossover potential is obvious, but no announcement has been made.
