Mario Film Producer Says Chris Pratt’s Plumber Won’t Have an Italian Accent, Calls Actor’s Voice ‘phenomenal’

Nintendo and Illumination announced that Chris Pratt Will Voice Mario In The Upcoming Mario Movie exactly two months ago. During those eight weeks, the conversation around this choice centered on the famous plumber’s voice. Will he speak a traditional Mario accent, or will he do something different?

In a new interview with TooFab, Mario film co-producer Chris Meledandri defended Pratt’s casting, calling his voiceover for Mario a phenomenon.

“All I can tell you is the voice he’s making for us, and Mario, is phenomenal,” Meledandri said. TooFab. “That’s right, I can’t wait for people to hear it.”

TooFab asked the producer about their decision to cast Pratt, a non-Italian, as the Italian plumber. Meledandri said he is an Italian-American and understands some of people’s feelings about the choice of actors. He said Italian Charlie Day was cast as Luigi, the film being a nod to the Italian background of the famous plumber duo.

However, Meledandri added that you can expect the Mario movie to touch on an Italian accent, or rather lack that accent.

“We mentioned it in the movie,” he said. “So you’ll see we definitely nod to that.”

Meledandri also said that you shouldn’t expect Pratt’s performance to rely too much on the “It’s me, Mario!” part! character, popularized by Charles Martinet, who has been voicing Mario for decades.

While you wait to hear Pratt’s Mario, check it out Full cast list for Illumination’s Mario movie.

[Source: TooFab]

What do you hope Pratt’s Mario sounds like? Let us know in the comments below!