The upcoming Super Mario Bros movie has revealed its cast and it provides clues as to what to expect from the movie. The animated feature will be a joint venture by Nintendo and Illumination and is set to be released at the end of 2022. This is exciting news for video game enthusiasts and moviegoers alike because Mario and Luigi are two of the most recognizable faces in pop culture. The supporting characters around them and their adversaries are also iconic in their own right, so it's set to potentially become one of next year's blockbusters.
The stacked voice cast includes Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. From a talent perspective, the Super Mario Bros. movie cast is great and, whether one thinks that the movie should be made or not, this casting reveals plenty about Nintendo's intentions for the rebooted Super Mario Bros.
All of the actors who have been cast, barring Anya Taylor-Joy, have found success in comedic roles, which suggests that the film will rely on their comedic timing and embrace comedy. And a few of them have already had success in animated franchises with Chris Pratt and Jack Black having voiced the main characters in The Lego Movie series and the Kung Fu Panda movies, respectively. If it does embrace comedy, it's a smart move by Nintendo and Illumination for their film to not take itself so seriously. The last attempt at a movie was 1993's Super Mario Bros., which had no idea what tone it wanted to strike and was a box office disaster. The new movie being animated and clearly bending toward comedy is already a good sign that everyone involved has a clear vision for the upcoming video game movie. This fact might spell out that Nintendo wants Super Mario Bros to be the beginning of a major franchise as it joins a long list of upcoming video game movies that are also being turned into multi-movie series. Perhaps the omitted fan-favorite Yoshi and the villainous duo Wario and Waluigi will be introduced in the inevitable sequel as Nintendo doesn't want to make the mistake of introducing too many characters in the same movie.
In terms of antagonists for Pratt's Mario and Day's Luigi, it's Bowser and his advisor, Kamek, who'll be utilized heavily as the main villains, with Peach likely to be kidnapped by the scary reptile just like she is in the Super Mario video games. A more interesting inclusion is that of Cranky Kong and what it says. Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong's grandson and Cranky Kong was actually Mario's enemy during Mario's early appearances in 1981. Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong are often confused for one another but the upcoming animated Mario Bros movie should rectify this confusion. Cranky Kong being in the movie also indicates that the story could be about the early days of Mario, who started as a character named Jumpman before 1983's Mario Bros. established the mushroom eating Italian as a legend.
Last, the incredibly talented cast of 2022's Super Mario Bros also reveals that Nintendo is playing it safe. They've chosen to cast well-known actors in roles that are recognizable, thus building the brand recognition and indicating that, if the movie isn't quite groundbreaking, it will at least be solidly entertaining. Regardless of whether it's a success or not, Super Mario Bros is something of a risk for Nintendo and Illumination but it's one that can bring great reward for everyone involved and potentially launch a new animated franchise.