Ever since the announcement Thursday by Nintendo that Chris Pratt would be playing the titular role of Mario in Super Mario Bros: The Movie in the upcoming full length animated film, fans have been going nuts. The casting isn’t without it’s controversies, as some have pointed out everything from pitching Danny DeVito as a superior casting choice, to sticking with the original videogame voice actor Charles Martinet (who is cast as a surprise, non-Mario cameo role), to others saying the casting choice smacks of cultural appropriation since Pratt is himself is not Italian-American, unlike the character.
But there are plenty of pop culture fans out there who are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of the Parks and Rec and Guardians of the Galaxy helming the role. For one, let’s not forget Pratt did a pretty darn good turn in The Lego Movie and The Lego Movie 2 as the sweetly naïve Emmet.
Well one Reddit user, mritchyknees, apparently could not contain their enthusiasm for the casting choice, creating a breathtaking work of art that sees a mashup of Pratt’s Starlord character from Guardians and the mustachioed plumber himself in the setting of the Super Mario Galaxy games, complete with a shower of star bits in the background and the hero himself holding a power star. Check out the artwork for yourself:
It remains to be seen whether Pratt’s turn as the mushroom munching, overall wearing, Goomba flattener will be a memorable one or something we wish to throw down a warp pipe. But regardless, we’ll all collectively find out when Super Mario Bros: The Movie hits theaters on December 21, 2022.
