Chris Pratt responds to Mario casting and calls it a “dream come true”

Actor Chris Pratt has responded to the surprise announcement that he will be voicing Mario in the upcoming Super Mario Bros film. 

The September 23 Nintendo Direct revealed plenty of upcoming titles that will be released on the Switch, giving fans a sneak peek at Bayonetta 3, Metroid Dread, Splatoon 3, and other titles. The reception surrounding the recent Direct was very positive, with many Nintendo fans excited to dig into all the latest trailers. 

One of the biggest surprises, though, was the voice actor reveal behind the Super Mario Movie – a collaboration between Nintendo and Illumination. While this project has been in the works for some time, fans were finally given a glimpse of the actors that would be voicing each character. 

So far, talents such as Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Seth Rogen, Charlie Day, and Charles Martinet have been revealed. However, the biggest surprise came when it was announced that Chris Pratt would be voicing Mario – the game’s red-clad protagonist. 

Chris Pratt responds to Super Mario casting

Chris Pratt’s reveal as Super Mario certainly came as a surprise to many fans, but also to the Hollywood actor, who recently took to Instagram to voice his excitement for the role.

“As a kid, I lived in Lake Stevens, Washington and there was this coin-operated laundromat near my house, and it had Super Mario Bros. the original arcade game,” said Chris. 

• Read More: Every Nintendo Direct reveal

“I loved that game. I never had a quarter, so I used to steal them from the wishing well… That’s wild, it’s just dawned on me right now that the quarter I stole out of the wishing well to play Super Mario Bros. has come true. I get to be the voice of Mario.” 

The acclaimed actor certainly seemed incredibly excited to take on the role of Nintendo’s iconic Italian plumber, but it looks like we’ll need to wait until the movie is released before we hear Chris’ rendition of Mario. 

• Read More: Chris Pratt and Charlie Day headline cast for Mario movie

“You’ll have to wait to hear the voice, but we’ve been working hard on it and I’m really excited to announce that I’m going to be the voice of that video game, that I’ve dreamed about playing as a kid. Dreams come true.”

The Mario film will debut on December 21st, 2022, so we’ll have a long wait before we get a glimpse of the entire cast in action.