Chris Pratt really wants you to know he’s a-gonna do a-good job as Mario

This past Thursday’s Nintendo Direct revealed the cast for the animated Super Mario movie. And Chris Pratt, who is set to voice Mario in the film, took to Instagram to let everyone know that the team has been “working hard at it.”

“It’s a-me, a-Mario,” said Pratt in an Instagram video using a voice that was very much not similar to that of the iconic plumber. (“That’s not the voice,” he clarified immediately afterward).

Pratt begins the video waxing poetic about longingly staring at a Super Mario arcade game that he always wanted to play but never had a quarter for. He resorted to stealing coins out of wishing wells to play. Now, he says he’s excited to voice the character, even if that means he accidentally stole someone’s wish.

In addition to Chris Pratt, the Super Mario movie will also star Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma) as Peach, Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Luigi, Seth Rogen (Long Shot) as Donkey Kong and Jack Black (Kung-Fu Panda) as Bowser. Charles Martinet, the longtime voice actor behind Mario (not to mention Wario), will also be involved in the project in some capacity, though he will not be the lead role. The movie comes from Illumination, the studio behind Despicable Me and the Minions empire.

The casting news has sparked some mixed reactions from fans, especially considering the longtime voice actors for the characters are ... right there. This resulted in a number of memes of improbable (yet totally not impossible!) casting choices.

The Super Mario movie will hit theaters in the United States on Dec. 21, 2022.