There have already been some negative comments about Chris Pratt, who is playing Mario, and Charlie Day, who is playing Luigi in Super Mario Bros. set for release in April 2023, which has already received some criticism for its casting.
In a interview with Deadline during the CineEurope convention, film producer Chris Meledandri addressed internet backlash regarding the casting of American actor Chris Pratt as the voice of Italian character Mario.
In addition to Anya Taylor-Joy voicing Princess Peach and Jack Black voicing Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key voicing Toad, Fred Armisen portraying Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson portraying Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco portraying Spike.
As co-producer alongside Meledandri, Shigeru Miyamoto, who created the super Mario Bros. game, serves as director and writer on Super Mario Bros. Its original release date was scheduled for December but has now been pushed back to April 7, 2023 in North America. A Japanese release is scheduled for April 28.
Pratt has faced backlash in the past. In 2019, Elliot Page (then Ellen Page) referred to Hillsong as an 'infamously anti-LGBTQ' place of worship. Pratt responded on Instagram declaring 'nothing could be further from the truth.'.
A birthday message he sent to his wife in 2021, with a heartfelt message about their daughter's health, was interpreted by fans as a dig at ex-wife Anna Faris and their developmental disabilities.
Mario Bros. is the best-selling video game franchise of all time, with more than 758.06 million copies sold since 1985 when its first game was released for Nintendo.
The characters made their big screen debut in 1993, in the blockbuster Super Mario Bros. with Bob Hoskins as Mario, John Leguizamo as Luigi, and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa.
Rocky Morton directed the film, while Annabel Jankel wrote the screenplay with Parker Bennett, Terry Runté, and Ed Solomon. In spite of a budget of $42 million, the live-action film grossed just under $39 million worldwide and received negative reviews. According to Miyamoto, the film tried to mimic the games too much.
Among the many products that feature Mario and his gang are TV shows, films, amusement park attractions, clothing, toys, and even Band-Aids.
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