For the most part, fans are excited over Illumination Entertainment’s animated Super Mario Bros. movie. The studio has generated billions upon billions of dollars with The Secret Life of Pets, Minions and Despicable Me properties, so they know how to put butts in seats.
The internet was divided over Chris Pratt voicing the title character, which wasn’t really a surprise when the cancel culture subset has placed him in the crosshairs more than once already, but for the most part, the reactions were hugely enthusiastic. Seth Rogen’s mom doesn’t know how to feel about her son playing Donkey Kong, but Twitter was happy about it, ditto for Jack Black as Bowser.
However, Super Mario Bros. veteran John Leguizamo isn’t a fan. The actor, who infamously headlined the live-action box office bomb opposite Bob Hoskins in 1993, took to social media and blasted the decision to populate the entire principal cast with white talent, as you can see below.
Leguizamo may be right in saying there’s a lack of Latin representation in the ensemble, but he’s clearly forgetting that Keegan-Michael Key and Kevin Michael Richardson were announced as part of the Super Mario Bros. roster. While the industry is pushing for an increase in diversity, it should be mentioned that we’re still talking about an adaptation of a fantasy-based video game where the hero is a short, stout Italian plumber with a mustache.
Published: Sep 28, 2021 09:49 am