Nintendo's casting announcement for the animated Super Mario Bros movie took the world by surprise as fans flocked to social media to express their thoughts.
During Nintendo's most recent Direct Showcase, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Super Mario Bros series, announced the voice cast for the spry plumber's first animated feature film. Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) will play Mario, while Charlie Day (Always Sunny in Philadelphia) will don a green cap as he lends his voice to Luigi. With Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Seth Rogan and Keegan-Michael Key also joining the film, fans expressed their distaste over the film's cast, especially in relation to Pratt's role.
During the announcement, Nintendo also confirmed that Charles Martinet, the voice actor who has played Mario for 29 years, will also appear in the movie as a variety of cameo characters. Many have expressed disappointment that Martinet will not take center stage, considering his long-standing commitment to the character.
Following his breakout role in Parks and Recreation, Pratt has gone on to be a household name. Starring in a variety of blockbuster franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, Pratt is no stranger to voice acting. He stars as Emmet in The LEGO Movie and its sequel as well as Barley Lightfoot in Pixar's Onward.
Many fans are likening the casting of Pratt to Ben Schwartz playing Sonic the Hedgehog in the character's debut live-action film. The Blue Blur has been voiced by Roger Craig Smith for 12 years, across both video games and animated adaptions. Many Sonic fans believe Smith should have reprised his role for the feature film, not unlike Martinet and Mario.
Little is currently known about Super Mario Bros beyond its cast and a release window of Holiday 2022. The film will feature a variety of supporting characters, including Kamek (Kevin Michael Richardson), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong) and Sebastian Maniscalco (Spike). More information is expected to release in the near future.
Source: Twitter