This evening, Nintendo released a livestream of their direct, which is a presentation to showcase upcoming games and content that is to be released from currently supported games. There was a lot of buzz going around on Twitter as Nintendo fans wait to see if their anticipated title is coming.
One of the biggest highlights to come out of the Nintendo Direct is the casting for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie, which is a collaboration between Nintendo and Illumination's Chris Meledandri. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the Mario series, announced the casting for characters such as Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, and others.
Fans were absolutely not expecting Chris Pratt, known by the internet as Hollywood's Worst Chris, to be the main star and beloved video game icon Mario. Not only were they disappointed by the casting choice, due to not having the original voice actor, Charles Martinet, reprising his role, but others felt that Danny DeVito got robbed once again at starring in a Nintendo licensed movie. Fans took to Twitter to express their disappointments for the potential of DeVito playing as Mario.
When the live-action Detective Pikachu was announced, fans were eagerly hoping that DeVito would portray the titular character. He unfortunately confirmed that he was not doing the role, even though the creative team behind the movie used It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia audio with his character. Eventually, Ryan Reynolds would end up as the adorable but serious Detective Pikachu.
One fan commented that the fans were robbed at the chance DeVito could have to play the Italian plumber. A comment even noted that he was offered to play as Mario in the 1993 live-action movie, but when the late and great Bob Hoskins got involved, it was already fate for that role.
Meanwhile, fans were outraged that Charlie Day is set to voice Luigi, and not because of the casting itself, but because it would have the two Sunny in Philadelphia actors play as brothers if DeVito was given the role. Their comedic timing and chemistry from the hit show would have ironically worked out perfectly.
Other Twitter users even felt that Pratt was the worst casting choice for Mario. For one, Pratt isn't of Italian descent, and it is just an extremely bizarre choice that left fans extremely confused. There were even tweets that threw shade at Pratt for being Mario, with one tweet in particular poking fun at him being an alleged homophobe.
Meanwhile, IGN has also taken a crack at the joke, using the famous meme featuring Day's character. The idea of DeVito playing as Wario is also interesting and clever, and if Nintendo doesn't get the memo, then there will be even more outrage.
Other casting announcements include Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. Mario's voice actor Martinet will be in the movie as surprise cameos, so thankfully they haven't abandoned him completely. The movie is set to release in North America on December 21st, 2022.