The iconic Mario video game franchise is set to make its return to the big screen next year with the upcoming animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie which features an all-star cast voicing the iconic characters. However, the casting of Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario has received some backlash from people who felt that he is not the right actor for the role.
Now, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has found another detractor as John Leguizamo, who played Luigi in the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie, criticized the film's all-star cast for its lack of diversity during a recent interview with IndieWire at the New York premiere of The Menu.
The actor claimed that there are people who loved the original film and "not feeling" the direction and casting for the upcoming animated film based on the responses that he received.
"I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original. I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, ‘No, no, we love the old one, the original.’ They’re not feeling the new one," he said. "I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate."
Leguizamo also reflected on his casting as Luigi in the 1993 film where he shared the story of how the directors have to fight for him to get the studio's approval since he is Latino and expressed his feelings on the upcoming film's lack of people of color in one of its main stars.
He added, "The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and they [the studio] didn’t want me to be the lead. They fought really hard, and it was such a breakthrough. For them to go backwards and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks."
Besides Pratt, the cast of the upcoming animated film includes Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalco, Kevin Michael Richardson, and original Mario voice actor Charles Martinet.
Also Read: Tara Strong Blasts Hollywood Amid Chris Pratt Mario Casting Controversy
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is slated for release in theaters on April 7, 2023.
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