Third time is the charm? The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been a major topic of conversation ahead of its release — from the mysterious plot to lead actor Chris Pratt‘s accent in the film.
Fans got a glimpse at the upcoming animated film with a teaser released at New York Comic Con. “Growing up, man, I spent hours of my life stomping Koopas in the original Mario Bros. arcade game at my local laundromat,” the Parks and Recreation alum shared in a special video message ahead of the sneak peek in October 2022. “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to play Mario. That dream, like all dreams, faces one critical challenge as in the film: I must face off against an utterly ruthless scene-stealer.”
Pratt added: “Every great hero needs a diabolical enemy and I promise you I could not have been paired with a more King of the Koopas, Bowser, my friend, the great and hilarious, supremely talented Jack Black!”
The Minnesota native’s casting previously received backlash after people questioned his ability to voice the Italian plumber without a potentially offensive accent. The actor opened up about the work that went into bringing Mario to life.
“I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear,” he told Variety in June 2022. “It’s an animated voiceover narrative. It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”
The Jurassic World star’s insight came after the coproducer Chris Meledandri defended bringing Pratt on board in the lead role.
“All I can tell you is the voice that he’s doing for us, and Mario, is phenomenal. I can’t wait for people to hear it,” he told TooFab that same month. “As an Italian American myself, I understand. I understand the comments.”
Meledandri continued: “Charlie Day, who’s playing Luigi, actually comes from Italian heritage. Yeah so that’s our nod.”
The CEO of Illumination also hinted that the Super Mario Bros. Movie would acknowledge the shake-up, adding, “We cover it in the movie. So you’ll see we definitely nod to that.”
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