Mama mia! Mario fans criticizing Chris Pratt's casting in Illumination's Super Mario Bros. Movie are demanding Danny DeVito voice the plucky plumber or another character in the animated adaption of the Nintendo video game series. The Universal and Nintendo co-produced feature film on Thursday announced a star-studded cast during Nintendo Direct, revealing Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen's Gambit) will star as Mario and Princess Peach, respectively, in the new movie dated for December 2022. DeVito's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-star Charlie Day will voice Luigi, the green-clad younger brother of Nintendo mascot Mario.
DeVito emerged as a trending topic on Twitter, where users reacting to the casting said it's "criminal" that "we have been robbed of Danny Devito as Mario and Charlie Day as Luigi." Writes another user, "The fact they had Charlie Day as Luigi and didn't bother to get Danny Devito as Mario is slanderous."
Others recommended DeVito for the role of Wario, originally the evil counterpart of arch-rival Mario. Charles Martinet, who has voiced both Mario and Wario in the expansive video game franchise since the 1990s, will make "surprise cameos" in the movie and is listed on a teaser poster revealed Thursday.
Announced actors include Jack Black (Jumanji: The Next Level) as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key (Key and Peele) as Toad, Seth Rogen (Kung Fu Panda) as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live) as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson (The Simpsons) as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco (The Irishman) as Spike.
According to a press release, "Each voice actor was cast for their ability to capture the unique spirit of their character."
DeVito's past voiceover roles include the Grundle King in My Little Pony: The Movie, Swackhammer in Space Jam, Phil in Disney's Hercules, the titular character in The Lorax, and Bob the dog in The One and Only Ivan.
Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! to the Movies) direct Mario from a script by Matthew Fogel (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Illumination's upcoming Minions: The Rise of Gru). Illumination and Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. opens December 21, 2022.
Here's what Mario fans have to say about it not-a being DeVito as Mario: