The first Mario film in nearly 30 years hits theaters on Dec. 21, 2022, via Universal Pictures. Nintendo and Universal are co-financing the project.
Long-time gaming fans rejoice! Next year, “Super Mario Bros.” is planning to be a holiday blockbuster for video game lovers of all ages. This 3-D animated film of perhaps the most iconic characters in all of video game history is sure to make a big splash worldwide.
Announced Super Mario Bros. Voice Actors Cast List:
- Chris Pratt as Mario (Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy)
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach (star of The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix)
- Charlie Day as Luigi (comedic actor who played Benny in the Lego Movie)
- Jack Black as Bowser (star in the latest Jumanji films)
- Keegan-Michael Key as Toad (principal in The Prom)
- Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong (voice of Pumbaa in 2019’s Lion King)
- Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong (Saturday Night Live alumni)
On Instagram, actor Chris Pratt reacted by saying “dreams come true” that he gets to be the voice of Italian plumber Mario, recalling he played the original arcade game as a kid.
Not all fanfare has been positive so far, however. Some backlash has already started online for not casting Italian actors in the lead roles. However, this isn’t the first time Mario and Luigi have been brought to theaters without Italian actors. A 1993 live-action epic “Super Mario Bros” starred Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi. Plus for what it’s worth, original “Mario” creator Shigeru Miyamoto is from Japan.
The former “Luigi,” John Leguizamo, has recently tweeted the following in regards to the new film: “So glad #superMariobros is getting a reboot! Obviously, it’s iconic enough. But too bad they went all white! No Latinx in the leads! Groundbreaking color-blind casting in original! Plus I’m the only one who knows how to make this movie work script-wise!”
The quote from Leguizamo has created a few headlines of its own. However, the final line in John’s tweet implies there is some sarcasm to his comments as well.
Nintendo fans are likely hoping the movie will be joined by some kind of new video game release. It’s not out of the question. “Super Mario” is one of the best-selling video game franchises ever, selling more than 380 million games all-time. In total, however, Mario (the character) has been in over 200 video games of all genres and over 600 million games in which he’s appeared have been sold! That being said, no movie tie-in video games have been announced at this time.
