A new Super Mario Bros. movie is officially happening – and the internet has been floored by the announcement of its A-list cast. This Thursday brought the news that the animated adaptation of the legendary video game franchise from Despicable Me studio Illumination is on its way to cinemas next year. Along with that, the full voice cast was revealed, which includes Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.
Just as Pratt has reacted to the news on social media, Taylor-Joy has likewise responded to her shock casting as the famous character. The Queen’s Gambit actress took to Instagram to share a side-by-side pic of herself and Peach, revealing some unexpected similarities between the star and her new role. The photo Taylor-Joy attached comes from the recent Venice Film Festival. “Here we goooooo,” she wrote in her caption, along with a couple of heart emojis.
Pratt’s own response to the Mario movie news saw him share a video to his followers, in which he recounted how he discovered the character via an arcade game as a child, describing getting hired to play the heroic plumber as a “dream come true”. He also gave us a rendition of the iconic “It’s a-me, a-Mario!” catchphrase, though Pratt is still keeping the exact voice and accent he’ll use for Mario a secret.
Alongside Pratt, Day and Taylor-Joy, the film also includes Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. The cast is rounded out with Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.
After 1993’s Super Mario Bros. went down as one of the worst movies in history, another live-action adaptation was never going to happen, but an animated flick could be the perfect way to bring Mario and friends back to the silver screen. It’s on course to smash into cinemas on December 21st, 2022.