Super Mario Bros. Film Director Defends Chris Pratt Casting

Chris Pratt as Mario? This casting made many Nintendo fans hot.

And while many criticized the actor for not using the character’s Italian-inspired accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (as heard in the trailers), he did co-direct Aaron Horvath know they’ve picked a winner.

“It made perfect sense to us,” said Horvath – also behind Teen Titans GO! – recently told Total Film. “He’s really good at playing a working-class hero with a lot of heart. For the way Mario is characterized in our film, he’s perfect for it.”

The animated film – also with Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Anya Taylor Joy And JackBlack– will show a new side of the beloved character and his brother Luigi.

“It’s a bit of an origin story,” Horvath explained, noting that it started with the duo working as plumbers in Brooklyn. “It’s the story of Mario becoming Super Mario… If you play the game and don’t give up, Mario will succeed. So we transferred that player experience from the game to a trait that Mario would have.”