John Leguizamo Still Unhappy With The Super Mario Bros. Movie

By Marc Deschamps

In 1993's Super Mario Bros. live-action movie, John Leguizamo was cast in the role of Luigi, alongside Bob Hoskins as Mario. After 30 years, Nintendo has once again brought the franchise to the big screen, alongside an all-new cast, with Charlie Day playing Luigi. When the cast was first revealed back in 2021, Leguizamo took issue with the lack of Latinx representation, pointing out the "groundbreaking color-blind casting in the original." Now that The Super Mario Bros. Movie has released in theaters, TMZ asked Leguizamo if his stance had changed, but it seems the actor is still disappointed. 

"No I will not be watching Super Mario Bros. They could have included a Latin character like I... I was groundbreaking and they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They disincluded," Leguizamo told TMZ.

The original Super Mario Bros. movie is widely considered one of the worst video game adaptations of all-time. The movie had very little to do with its source material, replacing the franchise's bright and colorful locations with a dark and dour city ruled over by evolved dinosaurs. The film was panned by critics, hated by its cast, and caused Nintendo to famously avoid adaptations of its properties for decades. In more recent years, the movie has gotten something of a reevaluation, and has a bit of a cult following that didn't exist prior.

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While it's too late to do anything about the lack of Latinx representation in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's possible the filmmakers could keep this in mind for a follow-up film. The movie is already doing quite well at the box office, and a post-credit scene sets up a sequel. Of course, there are several ways that Universal, Nintendo, and Illumination could go in terms of spin-offs, including movies based on Luigi's Mansion or Donkey Kong Country. Hopefully follow-up films will offer the type of representation Leguizamo is asking for, or perhaps even bring the actor back in some capacity.

Have you checked out The Super Mario Bros. Movie yet? Were you a fan of John Leguizamo's Luigi back in the day? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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