The Super Mario Bros. Movie voice cast: who plays who?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has an all-star, A-list cast. It includes Chris Pratt as the titular plumber, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, Khary Payton as the Penguin King, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Foreman Spike.
Directed by Teen Titans Go! co-creators Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, from a screenplay by Matthew Fogel, The Super Mario Bros. Movie sees everyone's favorite plumber face off against Bowser, King of the Koopas, and journey through the Mushroom Kingdom.
If you're not familiar with an actor, or their corresponding Nintendo character, we've compiled a list of all the major players and where you may have seen them before. Scroll on to see who plays who.
Chris Pratt – Mario
Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt voices everyone's favorite plumber, though his casting was initially met with some push-back from fans (and even former Super Mario Bros. live-action movie star John Leguizamo.)
If you're not a Marvel fan, you might recognize Pratt from NBC's Parks & Recreation, where he played Andy Dwyer (boyfriend and eventual husband to Aubrey Plaza's April) for 7 consecutive seasons – or – as Owen Grady in the Jurassic World trilogy.
Actor Charles Martinet has voiced Mario for Nintendo since 1992, and is set to make several surprise voice cameos through the film. Additionally, Bob Hoskins portrayed Mario in the 1993 live-action film along Leguizamo's Luigi.
Anya Taylor-Joy – Princess Peach
Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the role of Princess Peach, the lead female character in the franchise who is typically portrayed as a damsel in distress – who Mario typically has to save. Several actors have taken on Peach's English-language voice, including Jeannie Elias (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!), Tracey Moore (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World TV series), and Halo voice actor Jen Taylor. Peach was even voiced by Nintendo localization manager Leslie Swan for a time.
Taylor-Joy made her big screen debut in The Witch before gaining popularity as chess prodigy Beth Harmon in Netflix's The Queen's Gambit. She's gone on to star in Last Night in SoHo, The Northman, and The Menu, the latter of which earned her a 2022 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Charlie Day – Luigi
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Charlie Day plays Luigi, taking over for Charles Martinet who voices both Mario and his taller, significantly more timid twin brother for Nintendo. In addition to creating Apple TV Plus's Mythic Quest with Rob McElhenney, Day also lent his voice talent to animated features such as Monsters University and The Lego Movie film franchise.
Day, a huge fan of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, has expressed interest in playing Luigi in a live-action film based on the game Luigi's Mansion – which would make him the second-ever actor to portray the character in a live-action flick after John Leguizamo in 1993. Our fingers are crossed.
Seth Rogen – Donkey Kong
Funny man Seth Rogen voices Donkey Kong, a lovable ape who's alternated between a foe for Mario and the star of his own spin-off series for years. The beloved character has been voiced by several actors in old TV appearances, with the most notable being Optimus Prime voice actor Garry Chalk and famous kid-friendly comedian Soupy Sales. In games, DK has most often been voiced by legendary gaming composer Grant Kirkhope - though it's not as if the gorilla speaks that much in the games. The second trailer sees Donkey Kong briefly face off with Mario.
Rogen is known for starring in comedies like Superbad, 22 Jump Street, and most recently Hulu's Pam & Tommy – but also lent his voice talents to several animated films such as the Kung Fu Panda franchise, Sausage Party, and even Pumbaa in the live-action The Lion King.
Jack Black – Bowser
Pop culture icon Jack Black takes on the role of Bowser, aka King Koopa, who serves as Mario's main antagonist through the video game franchise and in the upcoming film. In the first trailer, we see Bowser obtain the coveted Super Star – granting him unimaginable power.
Black voices Po in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, starred in 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and 2019's Jumanji: The Next Level, played real-life murderer Bernie Tiede in Richard Linklater's Bernie, but might be best known for the uplifting comedy School of Rock. Half of rock-comedy duo Tenacious D, Black has stated that his version of Bowser will have a 'musical side' in the upcoming film.
Keegan-Michael Key – Toad
Keegan-Michael Key is perhaps best known for being one half of comedy duo Key & Peele, alongside Jordan Peele, and spending six seasons as a cast member on Mad TV. The comedian voices Mario's non-player companion Toad, a humanoid with a cute little mushroom head.
Similar to Jack Black, Key made his own musical contribution to the film, sharing that he improvised a song in a "high timbre" while in the process of trying to find Toad's voice through his internal journey. The character has been voiced by Halo voice actor Jen Taylor and industry veteran John Stocker, the latter of who has lent his voice to hundreds of animated TV shows including Sailor Moon and The Busy World of Richard Scarry.
Fred Armisen – Cranky Kong
Fred Armisen provides the voice for Cranky Kong - the original antagonist of the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, reimagined as the modern character's grandfather in the 1994 SNES game Donkey Kong Country.
Armisen rose to fame on Saturday Night Live before going on to co-create the IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia with Carrie Brownstein. He recently appeared on Shrill, Schimgadoon!, Toast of Tinseltown, Our Flag Means Death, the revival season of Kids in the Hall, What We do in the Shadows and plays Uncle Fester on Netflix's Wednesday.
Sebastian Maniscalco – Foreman Spike
Sebastian Maniscalco is a stand-up comic arguably best known for his roles in Peter Farrelly's Green Book and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. He's currently filming About My Father, in which he plays himself in the semi-autobiographical comedy-drama, as well as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, where he voices an Autobot named WheelJack.
Foreman Spike is an extremely obscure addition to the main roster of characters for the film. He appeared in the 1984 arcade game Wrecking Crew as a rival to Mario, occasionally knocking the hero down from the tall parts of construction site. Congratulations - by reading this paragraph you have already spent more time thinking about Foreman Spike than anyone else has in nearly 40 years.
Kevin Michael Richardson – Kamek
Kevin Michael Richardson has lent his voice to hundreds of animated features like The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Rugrats in Paris, and The Secret Life of Pets, in addition to appearing in The Matrix Revolutions and Transformers: The Last Knight.
In the video games, Kamek is a Magikoopa who acts as Bowser's childhood caretaker before becoming one of his high-ranking minions.
Khary Payton – Penguin King
Khary Payton is perhaps best known for his role as King Ezekiel (aka the guy who always has a tiger for some reason) on The Walking Dead, as well as providing the voice for Teen Titan member Cyborg across various DC media.
After being prominently featured in the first trailer, Payton's Penguin King went viral for its digitally animated cuteness. In the Mario games, the anthropomorphic flightless birds have the ability to either help or hurt Mario throughout his journey - though if you remember them it's probably because of the hapless crying babies in Super Mario 64.
For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming video game movies and shows heading your way soon.
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