Is the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ movie casting racist?
Yes, folks, the rumors are true – a Super Mario Bros. movie is coming to audiences in the near future. One of the most famous video games of all time is coming to the big screen, and only nearly thirty years after the famously flimsy 1993 version disappointed video game fans worldwide. The upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie, though, is way more promising.
The new Super Mario Bros. movie has video game fans around the globe excited. Why? Well, the cast is pretty damn star-studded. Furthermore, the movie isn’t going to be live-action, so we know we’ll get some of our favorite characters on screen appearing as we’ve always known them. However, the cast announcement has some people wondering if the casting is racist. Here’s what we’ve found.
White-washed
Is the Super Mario Bros. movie casting racist? Well, no. There are only a few human characters in the video game series.
Is the cast white-washed? Well, kind of. Like most mainstream Hollywood pictures, Super Mario Bros. looks to be voiced by a less-than-diverse cast. Does this make the casting racist? Well, no more racist than any other blockbuster you’d come across at the movies. So who has been cast, anyway?
Mario & Luigi
Cinema Blend reported last week with the galaxy of stars coming to the Super Mario Bros. movie. Of course, the biggest question on all Nintendo fans’ minds is simple: who’s playing Mario & Luigi?
Reports say Chris Pratt will take on Mario in the new movie, with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia alum Charlie Day playing Luigi. Chris Pratt isn’t on everyone’s minds as much as he was when Guardians of the Galaxy was ripping up headlines, but the actor has proven he can carry a big budget movie as the main hero. Day is a favorite funnyman, and will no doubt bring comic relief as Mario’s second-in-command.
Peach & Toad
The Queen’s Gambit brought Anya Taylor-Joy to audiences on a massive scale, after cult hits like The Witch earned her praise from critics & fans across the board. Taylor-Joy continues to plow through the mainstream, as reports say she’ll be playing Princess Peach in the new Super Mario Bros. movie.
Yah-hoo! Toad is coming to fans in the Super Mario Bros. movie along with the rest of the gang. Keegan-Michael Key will voice the mushroom-topped cutie we all know & love.
Bowser
Bowser is one of the biggest roles coming to the Super Mario Bros. movie, and whoever plays King Koopa best have a big personality. Lucky for the people behind the new Super Mario Bros. movie, Jack Black is locked in for the role of Mario’s arch nemesis.
Black has proved he can light up any room he walks into over his long & spirited career, and his casting as Bowser is one that even the biggest video game curmudgeon can be happy about.
Donkey Kong & Cranky Kong
Donkey Kong is going to show up in the new Super Mario Bros. movie, and the film is starting to come together in our heads as one drawing from a whole slew of Mario-associated games. Millennial purists will rejoice in knowing Seth Rogan will voice DK in the new flick.
Furthermore, some cutty Mario characters will join the main cast in the new movie, and Cranky Kong is one of them. The side character will shine, though, as accent specialist Fred Armisen will take on the primate when the Super Mario Bros. movie drops.
Kamek & Spike
Finally, you might not know Kamek & Spike unless you’re a true Super Mario Bros. head. The side characters are Mario’s enemies, and the bad guys will no doubt assist Bowser in trying to take down the world’s most famous Italian plumbers in the new flick.
Kevin Michael Richardson will play Kamek in the new movie, while Sebastian Maniscalco is said to take on Spike.
Reports say the new movie will drop in theaters December 21st, 2022.
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