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Chris Pratt's potrayal of Mario won't have an Italian accent, says film's producer

Mario Bros. film co-producer Chris Meledandri says Mario's lack of accent is actually addressed in the movie.

TJ Denzer

November 23, 2021 10:45 AM

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There have been a lot of odd and questionable decisions regarding the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie (alongside some really good ones, like casting Jack Black as Bowser). However, Chris Pratt as Mario has often been at the center of contention, and it seems that will continue to remain the case as it was recently revealed that Pratt actually won’t be giving Mario a thick Italian accent. It’s addressed in the film and doesn’t fit the performance, says co-producer Chris Meledandri.

Meledandri spoke to some of the decisions behind Pratt’s Super Mario performance in a recent conversation with toofab, where he revealed Pratt wouldn’t be leaning too hard into the “It’s-a-me” signature Mario voice from Charles Martinet that many are familiar with and fond of.

“As an Italian American myself, I understand, You know, I understand the comments…" Meledandri explained. "We cover it in the movie, so you'll see we definitely nod to that. [but] that's not the tenor of the performance throughout the film.”

Despite the above explanation, Meledandri remains convinced that viewers will love Pratt’s performance once they see it.

“All I can tell you is the voice that [Pratt]'s doing for us, and Mario, is phenomenal,” he added.

Despite Meledandri’s insistence, it will likely come as a further disappointment to fans of Mario, especially with Charles Martinet actually having been cast in the movie, only as a cameo instead. Heck, the address of accents in the movie could easily be related to whatever Martinet’s appearance will be in it. That said, it sounds like anyone hoping to hear Pratt do his best at a traditional Mario voice is going to be out of luck. Strangely, Meledandri suggested it’s not the case for Luigi, who will be played by Charlie Day.

“Charlie Day, who's playing Luigi, actually comes from Italian heritage. Yeah, so that’s our nod,” Meledandri added.

Interesting and odd choices aside, the Super Mario Bros. movie is being closely overseen by Nintendo and is slated for launch around holiday 2022. Stay tuned for more details and further upcoming reveals of the film right here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.