Nintendo America confirmed the star-studded cast of the new “Super Mario Bros” films over the weekend. It includes a cameo from a voice actor who voiced characters in the video game series from the 1990s.
On Friday, the company took to Twitter to share the exciting news that the new “Super Mario Bros” animated film is headed to theaters in North American before Christmas this year. The video game brand also shared the cast, and it features a few A-list celebrities.
The Italian plumber siblings, Mario and Luigi, will be voiced by “The Guardians of The Galaxy” star Chris Pratt and “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” actor Charlie Day. While Anya Taylor-Joy from the critically acclaimed Netflix series, “The Queen’s Gambit,” will portray Princess Peach.
Chris Pratt pictured at a special screening of “The Magnificent Seven,” 2016, New York City. | Photo: Getty Images
Bowser, the franchise’s supervillain, will be voiced by “School of Rock” actor Jack Black. The main cast is rounded out with “Friends From College” actor Keegan-Michael Key who voices Toad, and Seth Rogen, who will voice Donkey Kong.
Nintendo of America shared a poster with a golden clue box, like the one seen in the video game, along with the list of cast members and the official date that fans can expect to see in the movie in theaters. The official Twitter page wrote:
“The Super Mario Bros. Animated Film movie is heading to theaters in North America on 12/21/22! Check out the voice cast for the upcoming movie below.”
Anya Taylor-Joy pictured at the Miu Miu show during the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021, Paris, France. | Photo: Getty Images
Fans were excited to see Charles Martinet’s name on the cast list as he voiced Mario and other characters in the 1990s video game series. People reported that he is taking more of a backseat role in the film, as he will only be making a cameo.
The new movie will be produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto. “Teen Titans Go!” directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic will team up again for the movie after previously working on the “Teen Titans Go!” series and film together.
The Nintendo executive said that the production is going well so far and is constructive.
The Super Mario Bros. Animated Film movie is heading to theaters in North America on 12/21/22!
Check out the voice cast for the upcoming movie below 👇 pic.twitter.com/Xj31P6hk6y
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 23, 2021
The script will be written by Matthew Fogel, who’s worked on “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” Both Meledandri and Miyamoto have shared the excitement of working together on the animation and their enthusiasm for bringing new life to the beloved characters.
Meledandri stated that Mario and Luigi are two of the most beloved heroes from pop culture. He felt honored to work with Miyamoto and the Nintendo imagination team on the movie, which is unlike anything his team has done before. Meledandri said:
” …we are honored to have the unique opportunity to work so closely with Shigeru Miyamoto and the widely imaginative team…”
Chris Pratt as Mario
Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach
Charlie Day as Luigi
Jack Black as Bowser
Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike
Surprise cameos from Charles Martinet— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 23, 2021
Shigeru said that the two companies worked on the project to create a licensed character film and bring a new piece of entertainment that brings the beloved characters to life on screen and lets the audience enjoy “Super Mario Bros” independent of whether or not they know the franchise.
The Nintendo executive said that the production is going well so far and is constructive. He noted that both companies were learning a lot from each other. Shigeru asked fans to be patient as they worked on the film a little longer.
The new “Super Mario Bros.” movie joins a long list of video game adaptions scheduled to be released next year. This includes titles such as “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” “Borderlands,” “Untitled Call of Duty Film.”
Another title is “Uncharted,” which will star “Spider-Man” actor Tom Holland who will play a treasure hunter who travels around the globe uncovering historical mysteries. “Uncharted” is produced by Sony and is scheduled for release in February 2022.