Mario Movie Producer Defends Chris Pratt’s Casting, Says The Voice Is “Phenomenal”

When the voice cast for Mario’s upcoming movie was revealed back in September, it’s safe to say that fans had concerns. While Mario’s usual voice actor Charles Martinet will feature in the film in an as-yet-unannounced capacity, it’s Hollywood star Chris Pratt who’ll be taking on the role of Nintendo’s beloved moustachioed plumber, and the decision has been bouncing around like a Marmite-covered seesaw ever since.

Love him or hate him, Pratt seems to be looking forward to releasing the film, telling his fans on Instagram that “dreams come true” when talking about the role. As it happens, the film’s co-producer Chris Meledandri is also excited to get the film in front of fans and has suggested that Pratt’s Mario voice will be worth the wait.

Talking to toofab, Meledandri said, “All I can tell you is the voice that he’s doing for us, and Mario, is phenomenal. Yeah I can’t wait for people to hear it.”

For anyone wondering how Pratt will be able to pull off Mario’s traditional, Italian-inspired accent, don’t worry. Meledandri suggested that the issue surrounding Mario’s accent might actually play out as a self-referential joke in the film; “We cover it in the movie,” he said, “So you’ll see we definitely nod to that.”

Finally, Meledandri was also asked about concerns surrounding a non-Italian actor being given the role. He defended the decision, telling toofab, “Well, as an Italian American myself, I understand. You know, I understand the comments. Charlie Day, who’s playing Luigi, actually comes from Italian heritage. Yeah so that’s our nod.”

Of course, Mario’s usual voice actor, Charles Martinet, isn’t Italian either, so we can’t imagine the American casting has come as too much of a shock to many. Still, we’ll get to see just how well the movie’s been put together when it hits theatres in December 2022.