Although it will still be a little while longer before we get to see Illumination Entertainment's animated Super Mario Bros. movie, Nintendo did reveal who will be voicing the iconic characters when they come to life on the big screen next year. And while there is some major star power attached to this movie, there's also some questionable casting decisions.
Most surprising is Chris Pratt, who will be voicing the main character of Mario. Although Chris Pratt is a major movie star, having starred in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and Universal's Jurassic World franchises, his casting as the titular character was met with some hesitation. While some may have difficulty envisioning Pratt as the voice of the most iconic Italian plumber ever, it's worth mentioning that he does have experience voicing animated/CG characters as he starred as Emmet in the hit LEGO Movie films as well as Barley Lightfoot in Disney Pixar's Onward.
Pratt is joined by a stellar cast of actors including Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. Fans will also be happy to know that Charles Martinet, who voices Mario along with a bunch of other Nintendo characters in videos games, will have "surprise cameos" in the film.
Super Mario Bros. will hit theaters in North America on December 21, 2022. The theatrical release dates for Japan, Europe, and other regions are still to be announced.