Super Mario movie producer says Chris Pratt criticism ‘will evaporate’ when people hear him
The producer of the Super Mario movie has stated that the film is now 75% complete.
Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri took part in an onstage discussion at the CineEurope trade event in Barcelona, where the topic of the Mario film was raised.
In particular, Meledandri discussed the casting of Chris Pratt as Mario, a move that has been considered controversial among some fans of the franchise.
“Chris was cast because we felt he could give a great performance as Mario,” Meledandri said, according to Variety. “And now that we’ve done about 15 recording sessions, and the movie is three-quarters done, I sit here and say that I love his performance as Mario.”
Deadline reports that Meledandri also said: “When people hear Chris Pratt’s performance, the criticism will evaporate. Maybe not entirely – people love to voice opinions, as they should.”
He added: “I’m not sure this is the smartest defence, 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. Especially because he’s given such a strong performance.”
Meledandri, who was nominated as a new outside director of Nintendo in May 2021, also discussed Illumination’s relationship with Nintendo as a result of the movie’s production.
He referred to the partnership as “the fulfilment of a really important objective,” saying: “Nintendo is one of the companies we respect and hold in high esteem – this collaboration, I think, is unprecedented in its closeness.”
Meledandri had previously defended Pratt’s casting as Mario when approached by a reporter at LAX airport in November last year.
“All I can tell you is the voice that he’s doing for us and Mario is
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