Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy Team Up For ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Animated Film

Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and more stars are teaming up for the upcoming animated feature film inspired by the famous platform game “Super Mario Bros.”

The big project from Nintendo, Illumination and Universal has finally named the Hollywood star who will be voicing the iconic video game character Mario, and it’s none other than Pratt, 42, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Mario’s love interest, Princess Peach, will be voiced by the 25-year-old rising star, Taylor-Joy, who previously wowed the world through her performance in Netflix’s megahit limited series “Queen’s Gambit.”

Of course, the film wouldn’t be complete without Mario’s younger fraternal twin Luigi, who will be voiced by Charlie Day. The 45-year-old actor has a long list of acting and voice acting credits, including “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Horrible Bosses,” “Pacific Rim” and “Monsters University.”

Other stars who were tapped to join the animated feature film include Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Sebastian Maniscalco (Spike), Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek) and Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong).

In the video game franchise, the titular siblings, who work as plumbers, enter a world of foes and traps when they try to rescue the princess from the evil Bowser. It’s not clear if the producers are sticking to this plot for the animated film.

“Mario and Luigi are two of the most beloved heroes in all of popular culture, and we are honored to have the unique opportunity to work so closely with Shigeru Miyamoto [the video game’s designer] and the widely imaginative team at Nintendo to bring these characters to life in an animated movie, unlike any film Illumination has made to date,” Illumination CEO Christopher Meledandri was quoted as saying by Variety.

Miyamoto, who is producing the film with Meledandri, said that each cast member was chosen for their ability to capture the essence of the character they are voicing. He added that they hope fans would wait for the premiere of the movie on the big screen as they are determined to deliver “a new piece of entertainment” featuring the well-loved video game characters.

“Super Mario Bros.” has been given a North American release date of Dec. 21, 2022.