Mario movie director defends 'perfect' Chris Pratt
We all knew where we were when the cast of The Super Mario Bros Movie was revealed. For some, we were sat on the sofa, screeching with laughter.
The announcement that Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, would be the man behind the moustache in the latest adaptation of the Mario game series took the world by storm and made millions question, "What does the guy behind 'Goodbye Little Sebastian' have to bring to the plucky, portly plumber?"
Well, those behind the film seem to know. Despite the controversy and critics saying almost anyone would've made a better Mario, one of the directors is defending the "perfect" casting of Pratt.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Director says Chris Pratt is perfect
Click to enlargeIn a new interview with Total Film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie Co-Director Aaron Horvath has explained exactly why Chris Pratt was such a great choice for the plumber.
"He's really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart," he says. "For the way that Mario is characterized in our film, he's perfect for it."
It's a fair comment, as Pratt had a good run of playing regular guys in animated movies, taking up the role of Emmett in both mainline The Lego Movie films. Even so, it doesn't take much of the shock out of the bizarre casting after knowing Mario's iconic voice for all this time.
Sadly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has become caught in the controversy of Pratt's accent (or lack of). The trailers have teased a slightly Italian twang, but until we sit down in cinemas, we won't know whether Pratt is actually the "perfect" Mario.
The Super Mario Movie is real origin story
Horvath goes on to explain that we've seen Mario in the trailers, but the "super element of Super Mario is yet to come. The film will apparently follow his path to becoming the Mario he was destined to be. Better get munching those mushrooms.
"It's a bit of an origin tale," says Horvath, "It's the story of Mario becoming Super Mario." In case you needed any further confirmation this is just the start of the Mario Cinematic Universe, there you go.
There's plenty to be excited for when it comes to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and whether or not Chris Pratt is one of those things is up to you. Either way, it looks like we're in for a treat as we rev our karts and zoom toward Rainbow Road.
