Chris Pratt will play Mario in upcoming 'Super Mario Bros.' animated film, leaving many online saying 'Mamma mia'
- Chris Pratt will voice famous plumber Mario in the new 'Super Mario Bros.' movie, Nintendo announced.
- The animated 'Super Mario Bros.' will hit theaters on December 21, 2022, in North America.
- Reactions to the voice castings mainly revolved around Chris Pratt, and a lack of Danny DeVito.
Nintendo announced the actors who will voice characters in its upcoming "Super Mario Bros." animated film during a Nintendo Direct event on Thursday. Chris Pratt will voice the lead fantasy world plumber Mario.
The new film is set to hit theaters on December 21, 2022, in North America.
The voice cast is as follows:
- Chris Pratt as Mario
- "Queen's Gambit" star Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach
- Charlie Day as Luigi
- Jack Black as Bowser
- Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
- Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
- Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
- Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike
"We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character licensed film, but a new piece of entertainment which brings 'Super Mario Bros.' to life on the screen, and allows everyone to enjoy whether or not they know about the game," Nintendo CEO Shigeru Miyamoto said at the Nintendo direct event.
Chris Pratt and Nintendo immediately trended on Twitter after the Thursday afternoon announcement, with many letting out a collective "Mamma mia," at some of the casting choices.
Many made tongue-in-cheek jokes about the lack of Italian-American representation in the voice cast, namely in Mario's role.
Others suggested it was an injustice that Mario's role didn't go to Danny DeVito, who is Charlie Day's (cast as Luigi) co-star in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
Chris Pratt later posted a video on his Instagram saying that the announcement was "a dream come true," adding that he played Super Mario at an arcade near his house as a child.
"As it is right now, it's-a me, Mario," Pratt said.