Christ Pratt's Super Mario Casting Sends Fans Into Meltdown, Sparks Wave of Memes, Jokes

It's-a me, Chris Pratt! The casting announcement that Chris Pratt is set to play Super Mario in an upcoming adaptation of the iconic video game has sent the internet into meltdown this morning.

The feature film, based on the game, boasts a bizarrely A-list cast with Charlie Day set to voice Luigi and The Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor Joy taking on the role of Princess peach.

Jack Black will voice supervillain Bowser, while Seth Rogen will be Donkey Kong and Keegan-Michael Key plays Toad in a movie that's scheduled to be released in December 2022.

Pratt shared the news in an Instagram post, joking with fans: "It's-a me, Mario!"

"That's not the voice, you'll have to wait to hear the voice," promising his fans "we've been working hard at it."

"I'm really excited to announce that I'm gonna be the voice of that video game that I dreamed about playing as a kid," he said. "Dreams come true."

In a surprise announcement by Nintendo, the producers of the film have said that the casting decisions were made as each actor selected was able to capture the unique spirit of their famous characters.

"Mario and Luigi are two of the most beloved heroes in all of popular culture, and we are honored to have the unique opportunity to work so closely with Shigeru Miyamoto and the widely imaginative team at Nintendo to bring these characters to life in an animated movie, unlike any film Illumination has made to date," said producer Chris Meledandri, per Variety.

The casting announcement has inspired countless memes, as movie fans joke about the A-listers who are involved, what Pratt will be like as Mario and the fact that no real Italians are in the lineup.

"Everyone wants 2021 to be over but 2022 is already cursed," joked writer Benjamin Law.

"imagine how powerful this could have been for italians," joked another along with a photo of Robert Di Nero and Al Pacino.

While Twitch streamer Hasan Piker joked: "chris pratt playing mario is italiaphobia and i'm tired of acting like it isn't."

Actor Vincent Martella used a still from The Sopranos to express his dissatisfaction with Pratt's casting.

Some more choice memes below:

"We are collaborating with Chris and his experienced team to not just create a character licensed film, but a new piece of entertainment which brings Super Mario Bros. to life on the screen, and allows everyone to enjoy whether or not they know about the game," added Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo.

"The production so far is constructive and going very well, and both parties are learning a lot from each other. We humbly ask that fans wait just a little longer for the premiere, and we hope they look forward to seeing the unique characters from Super Mario Bros. on the big screen."