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LOS ANGELES — Chris Pratt will star as the voice of Mario in an upcoming "Super Mario Bros." movie, in one of showbiz's most unlikely castings.
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" actor will voice Mario, the tubby Italian plumber who changed the world of video games with the release of "Super Mario Bros." 36 years ago, Nintendo announced on Twitter on Thursday.
The film will also star "The Queen's Gambit" star Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"'s Charlie Day as Mario's brother Luigi, and Jack Black as villain Bowser.
None of the cast is Italian — something that has sparked fierce debate and countless jokes on social media. Whether the actors will adopt Italian accents is unknown, but in a video posted to Instagram, Pratt said he had been "working hard" on the character's voice.
Pratt also reflected that the role was a dream come true, saying he often played the arcade game as a child.
The animated film, teased in 2017, will hit theaters in North America in December 2022, Nintendo said.
