When Chris Pratt was cast as the voice of Mario in the upcoming Super Mario movie, fans immediately started wondering how he was going to pull it off. Video game character Mario is known for an extremely exaggerated Italian accent — epitomized by the infamous “It’s-a-me, Mario!” line. In fact, when the casting was announced, Pratt delivered the line in an Instagram post, quickly insisting he wouldn’t use the stereotypical voice.
Now, Mario Bros. co-producer Chris Meledandri is confirming that Pratt won’t use the accent, and also revealing the film will reference the familiar “its-a-me” voice.
“We cover it in the movie,” Meledandri told TooFab. “So you’ll see we definitely nod to (Mario’s voice). But that’s not the tenor of the performance throughout the film.”
When asked if “woke” fans would feel a need to “cancel Mario” for the voice, he said, “I don’t think so.”
Meledandri had high praise for Pratt’s work, saying, “All I can tell you is the voice that he’s doing for us in Mario is phenomenal… I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
And while Pratt himself is not Italian, the producer said Charlie Day, who’s playing Luigi, is of Italian heritage.
The Mario film, which doesn’t have an official title yet, is scheduled for release on Dec. 21, 2022.
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