It’s time for the princess to be rescued again.
Nintendo and Illumination released the first poster for their upcoming animated film “Super Mario Bros.” based on the iconic video game, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Brimming with the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, the poster features a technicolor array of islands, hills and other potential dangers for the fearless plumber.
The star-studded cast includes Chris Pratt voicing Mario, Jack Black as Bowser and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach. Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogan and Fred Armisen are also slated to voice characters in the film.
The film is expected to drop its first trailer on Thursday.
“Super Mario Bros.” initially faced criticism after casting the non-Italian Pratt in the titular role.
“Chris Pratt playing Mario is italiaphobia and i’m tired of acting like it isn’t,” said one disgruntled Twitter user.
“F–k this casting celebrities as video game characters in their movies thing … No one wants to see them reinvent Mario to act like Chris Pratt,” another said.
Film producer Chris Meledandri defended the casting choice.
“When people hear Chris Pratt’s performance, the criticism will evaporate. Maybe not entirely — people love to voice opinions, as they should,” said Meledandri.
“I’m not sure this is the smartest defense, but as a person who has Italian-American heritage, I feel I can make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian-Americans … I think we’re going to be just fine.”
“Super Mario Bros.” is slated to hit theaters on April 7, 2023.
