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Universal and Nintendo's upcoming Super Mario Bros. animated film is inching its way closer to theater, aiming for a 2023 Spring release. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto announced the animated film and the incredible cast selected to voice the iconic video game characters. Chris Pratt's casting as the well-known Mario ignited tremendous excitement and controversy, but the Jurassic World: Dominion star promises a unique voice performance to bring the Italian plumber to life.
Miyamoto's Super Mario Bros. film announcement came during a Nintendo Direct in September last year. Unfortunately, not much of the film's plot has surfaced, and the title for the upcoming project remains a hidden secret. What is known, however, is the assembled cast joining Pratt for the video game adaptation. Charlie Day will voice the infamous Luigi, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
Despite Pratt's notoriety, there was concern around his casting as Mario because of his non-Italian background. Many felt and continue to think that his portrayal of the Italian plumber's accent could be offensive, but the film's co-producer, Chris Meledandri, defended Pratt's casting and raved about the Guardians of the Galaxy star's voice work. Pratt expressed similar feelings and highlighted his excitement for audiences to hear his one-of-a-kind take on the character.
"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," expressed Pratt while conversing with Variety. "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."
It'll be interesting to see how this film performs once it officially arrives and if the power encased within the talented cast will be enough to attract audiences into theaters. Video game feature adaptations haven't always been a pathway to success for most studios, but the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise may be providing a blueprint for many studios to follow. The blue hedgehog's latest film has earned over $400 million worldwide, making it the year's eighth best-performing film.
Only time will tell how successful the untitled Super Mario Bros. animated film will be, but merging its 2023 release with the potential opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Hollywood and Orlando should increase excitement and intrigue in audiences. The fast-approaching film has the potential to be groundbreaking due to the following the video game franchise has amassed since its inception in 1981, but only if the narrative is something audiences can resonate with and enjoy.
The untitled Super Mario Bros. film will look to hit theaters Spring 2023.
Source: Variety