Nintendo unveils a wild cast list for the Super Mario Bros. movie — including Chris Pratt as Mario

It's-a-me, Chris Pratt — believe it or not.
Nintendo on Thursday announced the cast for its upcoming animated Super Mario Bros. movie, and to say there were some unexpected choices in the mix would be an understatement. For one, Pratt was cast in the lead role of the titular Italian plumber, and YouTuber Ted Nivison summed up the general reaction by dubbing this the "strangest thing I've ever heard in my entire life." During a live stream, Nintendo game director Shigeru Miyamoto described Pratt as "so cool" and "very talented," promising, "Mario will be talking a lot in the movie."
Anya Taylor-Joy will also be voicing Peach, while Charlie Day will voice Luigi, Jack Black will voice Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key will voice Toad, Seth Rogen will voice Donkey Kong, and Fred Armisen will voice Cranky Kong. Kevin Michael Richardson is also voicing Kamek, Sebastian Maniscalco is voicing Spike, and Nintendo also announced there will be "surprise cameos from" Charles Martinet, who voices Mario in the games — meaning, well, it's no longer exactly a surprise. The movie, which comes from the studio behind Despicable Me, is hitting theaters in December 2022, nearly 30 years after the widely-panned 1993 live-action film starring Bob Hoskins as Mario.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The reactions to the cast list were, let's just say, quite strong, particularly over the surprising pick of Pratt as Mario. "This is discrimination against Italian-Americans," tweeted The Atlantic writer Amanda Mull, while Thrillist's Esther Zuckerman asked the question on everyone's mind: "Is Chris Pratt gonna ... do the voice????"
Based on the online reception, the film's teaser poster consisting of nothing but the cast list followed by a question mark block was certainly appropriate.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The app tackling porn addiction
Under the Radar Blending behavioural science with cutting-edge technology, Quittr is part of a growing abstinence movement among men focused on self-improvement
-
Magazine solutions - August 29, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
Magazine printables - August 29, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show