Chris Pratt and Charlie Day suggest the Super Mario Bros. sequel could take inspiration from two fan-favorite video game titles in the franchise: Mario Golf and Luigi's Mansion.
During an exclusive interview with CBR, the Super Mario Bros. stars expressed their excitement about a Mario Golf-inspired sequel. "Ooh! Mario Golf!" Pratt exclaimed. "I didn't even think about that," Day added. "I would definitely like to see that. That'd be good. That's right. I'm into that. And we can do our research at Augusta." Pratt also discussed the film's post-credits scene, which will offer fans a clue about the filmmaker's direction for a potential sequel. "Listen, there's like, at the end of the film, there's a post-credit sequence that gives you a taste of what the sequel could be about. And that gets me very, very excited. But there's been talk of Luigi's Mansion. That was a Gamecube game. I think that would be great."
Mario fans have been eager for the iconic plumber's return to the big screen, and though many have expressed concern over the casting of Pratt in the lead role, popular opinion has begun to shift as the film nears its release date. The actor recently performed a video game-accurate rendition of Mario's voice while promoting the film on a talk show, receiving many positive reactions on social media. Aaron Horvath, co-director of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, has also explained why Pratt was perfect for this version of the legacy character. "For us, it made total sense," he said. "[Chris is] really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart. For the way that Mario is characterized in our film, he's perfect for it."
Luigi and Peach Trade Places
In the same interview, Horvath also discussed the decision to swap the roles of Luigi and Princess Peach. "It's Mario's goal to save his brother from Bowser's clutches. He has to go on this epic adventure to do that," he explained. "So Luigi, who's a famously nervous, anxious character, finds himself in the worst possible predicament: having to survive interrogations with Bowser and make it through that gauntlet." Horvath also suggested that Peach's role as a monarch forced a reimagining of the character. "We were thinking how strong that person would need to be to protect those people," he said. "All that informed the idea for Peach's character in our movie."
Joining Pratt and Day in the Super Star-studded voice cast are Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Sebastian Maniscalco as Foreman Spike and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek. Longtime Mario and Luigi voice actor, Charles Martinet, is also set to make several cameo appearances in the film. Martinet has been voicing the characters since 1991.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie hits theaters on April 5. The full interview with CBR will be published soon.
Source: CBR