Nintendo is ready to move beyond their live-action Super Mario Bros. movie and bring the plumbers back in animated form late next year. Working alongside Illumination (known for Despicable Me, Minions, and The Secret Life of Pets), the video game giant has brought in some big Hollywood names to voice their popular characters.
One of the biggest surprises is that Chris Pratt will voice Mario, rather than Charles Martinet, who has voiced the character for over 30 years. Martinet is, however, set to have several “surprise cameos,” according to Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto.
Other surprise actors include Jack Black as Bowser and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
Here is the current casting list, announced by Nintendo:
- 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
While Nintendo has been tight-lipped on the movie’s story or anything else, it is probably safe to say Mario and Luigi will be saving Princess Peach for at least part of the time. With characters like Cranky Kong in it, though, it is hard to tell where they might go with the overall storyline.
The untitled film is set to release in North America on December 21, 2022. More information will come later on other regions’ release date.
Steve is the Senior Editor of NintendoFuse and co-host of the NintendoFuse Podcast. He’s been a Nintendo gamer since age 6 and has been on staff with NintendoFuse since 2008.