Ever since Nintendo announced that Chris Pratt will voice Mario in a still-untitled Mario movie, fans of the video game franchise and/or Italian plumbers in general have been worried. Will Chris Pratt mimic the let’s a-go enthusiasm of Mario in the games, or will he sound like, well, Chris Pratt? Which is to say: Garfield.
The Parks and Recreation star claims that his Mario voice is “unlike anything you’ve ever heard,” while producer Chris Melandandri thinks the negative response to Pratt’s casting will “evaporate” once people heard it. We’ll find out soon enough: the Mario movie teaser trailer will premiere at New York Comic Con on October 6th.
Join us October 6th at 4pm ET for the teaser trailer premiere of Nintendo & Illumination’s upcoming Super Mario Bros. film, releasing April 7, 2023. pic.twitter.com/1jEFnlvCnU
— New York Comic Con (@NY_Comic_Con) September 22, 2022
You think the response to the original Sonic design was ugly? Just wait if Pratt’s Mario voice doesn’t go over well. Maybe he nails it, who knows, but it’s also not too late to cast Matt Berry… in every movie, actually, but let’s stick with the Mushroom Kingdom for now.
The Mario movie, which also stars 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, and Charles Martinet (the one true Mario voice actor) in an undisclosed role, opens on April 7, 2023.