Tag: Super Mario

Posted on in News

Chris Pratt Tapped To Voice ‘Garfield’ In A New Animated Film

Chris Pratt is suddenly getting a lot of studio voice acting work after headlining the Lego movies for Warner Bros. and most recently turning heads when he was cast as the voice of Mario in a Super Mario Bros. animated film at Illumination/Universal Pictures.

The actor is now reportedly set to play another iconic character, as The Hollywood Reporter revealed he’s been selected to voice Garfield in a new animated movie for Alcon Entertainment and will be distributed by Sony Pictures.

Garfield’s script was penned by Oscar nominee David Reynolds (Finding Nemo) and directed by Mark Dindal (Chicken Little), the two previously worked together on Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove. He’s a sarcastic lazy orange tabby that is obsessed with lasagna, hating Mondays, and terrorizing the lovable but simple dog, Odie, by kicking him off tables.

You might remember Bill Murray voiced the cinematic version of Garfield in the live-action hybrid movies at 20th Century Fox (pre-merger), the casting was a nod to Lorenzo Music, who originally voiced the cartoon cat and also Murray’s Ghostbusters character in The Real Ghostbusters.

I’m slightly confused why Alcon didn’t simply cast Pratt’s Parks & Rec co-star Nick Offerman, who obviously is a better fit for the lazy sarcastic cat when Pratt gives off major Jon Arbuckle vibes.

Pratt is about to begin shooting James Gunn’s Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3 and is loosely attached for a sequel to The Tomorrow War, the sci-fi actioner from Christ McKay that landed at Amazon.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News, News

Universal’s Animated ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie Voice Cast To Include Chris Pratt & Coming Out December 2022

Nintendo, Illumination (animation studio behind Despicable Me), and Universal Pictures have been developing an animated film based on the iconic Super Mario Bros. video game franchise.

Yesterday, Nintendo made huge waves by announcing the film’s voice cast lineup and a December 21, 2022 release date. The former news seemingly landed a negative reaction, mainly, with Marvel actor Chris Pratt voicing Mario. Pratt previously lending his voice to Pixar’s Onward and the two LEGO movies from Warner Bros., the first installment being a mega hit.

As you can see below, Illumination has hired seasoned actors that have done voice work for animation before.

  • 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 
  • Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike 
  • Surprise Cameos From Charles Martinet (Mario voice actor)

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies) are directing from script penned by screenwriter Matthew Fogel (The LEGO Movie: The Second Part, Minions: The Rise of Gru).

Illumination founder Chris Meledandri and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto are also producing the project.

I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if a Donkey Kong movie starring Seth Rogen is announced between now and Mario’s release in late 2022, given how popular that Nintendo character is and how Illumination has been handling spinoffs with the Minion movies.

Chris Pratt’s next big feature for Universal Pictures will be Jurassic World: Dominion, the third installment in the Jurassic World trilogy and sixth in the larger Jurassic Park franchise, which might have a part in why the actor was selected for the role. This fall he’ll reunite with writer/director James Gunn for Marvel’s long-delayed Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3.

Mario has had other non-video game counterparts in the past with live-action and animated versions on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and with the box office flop feature film Super Mario Brothers: The Movie led by Bob Hoskins.

SOURCE: NINTENDO