As the world of gaming looks forward to the Super Mario animated film debut, the team working on Nintendo's first real foray into cinema is reassuring fans that things are coming along nicely. That’s the case for Illumination CEO and Super Mario producer Chris Meledandri, who once again jumped to defend Chris Pratt’s casting.
Initially expected to be a 2022 holiday release, the Super Mario movie (no official title) was officially delayed a couple of months ago by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto himself in a somewhat cryptic tweet. Under the promise that the end result would be “well worth the wait,” Miyamoto's role as a producer seemed to echo Nintendo's philosophy when approaching games, and now his producing partner has backed that statement with a fresh update on the world’s most famous plumber’s new adventure.
During Barcelona CineEurope, Meledandri made rounds to promote his studio’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, releasing next week. Naturally, he also answered some Mario questions, thus again stating his belief in Pratt's suitability for the role, saying the actor has “given such a strong performance.” The CEO confirmed Pratt was cast because the studio believed he could be a great Mario and that “we’ve done about 15 recording sessions” that have turned out quite well, especially considering the film is “three-quarters done.”
Addressing the controversy of Pratt playing a fictional stereotypically Italian character, Meledandri clarified that as an Italian American himself, he felt confident about casting Pratt. “I feel I can make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian Americans […] I think we’re gonna be just fine,” Meledandri said. Pratt's casting has continually led to countless criticisms and memes that have certainly not befallen the rest of his Mario co-stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armisen.
Besides his lack of Italian heritage, Pratt's role has been questioned by what James Gunn calls utterly-false beliefs about the actor, as well as frustration over another occasion of a big Hollywood production passing on more experienced voice actors. Despite being guaranteed a spot in the movie, long-time Super Mario voice actor Charles Martinet did not get the main role, though many might feel his iconic Mario portrayal wouldn’t fit in so perfectly in a movie as it has in Nintendo products from the past 3 decades.
One thing is for sure, and that is Nintendo will have to step up its game. Movies like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 continue to raise the bar for video game adaptations, and few will expect a worse effort from the greatest gaming icon of them all.
The Super Mario Bros. movie is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 7, 2023.
Source: Variety