Actor Chris Pratt has shared a funny fake "first-look" at the animated Super Mario Bros: The Movie. Pratt was recently cast as Mario for Nintendo and Illumination's Super Mario Bros: The Movie animated feature, which sports a strong cast of interesting players. The announced cast includes 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. Original Mario voice actor Charles Martinet is also expected to make some guest voice appearances in the film.

Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed by Nintendo in 1983 which focuses on brothers Mario and Luigi, both plumbers, who must travel to the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from the evil clutches of Bowser. From the colorful characters to the catchy theme to the popularization of side-scrolling games, Super Mario Bros. would go on to become an icon of gaming, launching a multitude of games that continue to be produced today, as well as merchandise, an animated series, and a notoriously terrible 1993 live-action film starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper.

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While some fans have been skeptical of the casting, Chris Pratt has embraced his new role as the voice of Mario and today shared a funny fake video that he teased was a look a the new film. The video in question take the final scene at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and adds Super Mario Bros. imagery and sound effects, with Pratt's "Mario" reaching for a Super Star (an Infinity Stone in GOTG), which grants temporary invincibility in the game. The humorous clip is little more than a fun tease for the project, which Pratt appears to be quite excited about. Take a look at the video below:

Pratt's most recent film, Amazon's The Tomorrow War, was a big hit for the streamer and for Pratt. His acting dance card has filled up tremendously of late, with a number of high-profile projects on the way and in development. Aside from Super Mario Bros: The Movie, Pratt returns to his Jurassic World roots next year with Jurassic World: Dominion, suits up as James Reece in the series adaptation of Jack Carr's The Terminal List, and returns to the cosmos as Star-Lord in three more projects, including Thor: Love & Thunder, Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

While some fans weren't thrilled with Pratt taking on the role of Mario, the fact remains that Pratt cut his teeth in comedy with projects like Parks and Recreation and movies like The LEGO Movie, where he showed a natural ability for voice work. While he may not be the original Mario voice actor, Pratt does bring some clout, as does the rest of the cast, in creating something original that also pays proper homage to the characters, world, and themes fans have come to love. In the end, a studio hiring a large cast of A-list talent for an animated film is nothing new and it's good to see Pratt flex his comedic muscles again, rather than just his newly acquired physical ones. Super Mario Bros: The Movie is expected to jump into theaters on December 21st, 2022.

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Source: Chris Pratt