Chris Pratt says his Mario voice is ‘unlike anything you’ve heard’

I know it’s been nine months, but I’m honestly still reeling from the announcement that Chris Pratt will be voicing Mario in the upcoming Mario movie. What on earth is that going to sound like???

Pratt, at least, seems to think it’s going to be something special. “I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear,” Pratt said in an interview with Variety. “It’s an animated voiceover narrative. It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”

That last sentence appears to mean that Pratt won’t be imitating Charles Martinet’s iconic take on Nintendo’s famous plumber. While we kind of already knew that, now I’m even more curious to hear exactly how Pratt brings Mario to life.

Based on a recent statement from Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, though, I may not be totally thrilled with the final result. “When people hear Chris Pratt’s performance, the criticism will evaporate, maybe not entirely — people love to voice opinions, as they should,” he said, according to Deadline. Whenever we do finally hear Pratt’s interpretation of Mario, I — and I assume literally every other Twitter user — will almost certainly voice an opinion.

The Mario film was set to release in December, but it was recently delayed. It will now debut on April 7th in North America and April 28th in Japan. The cast also includes Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, and Jack Black as Bowser. While Martinet isn’t starring as Mario, he will be appearing in “surprise cameos.”