Chris Pratt as Mario? That casting left many Nintendo fans piping hot. While many criticised the actor for not using the character's Italian-inspired accent in The Super Mario Bros. movie, co-director Aaron Horvath knows they picked a winner.

 "For us, it made total sense," Horvath told Total Film. "He's really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart. For the way that Mario is characterised in our film, he's perfect for it." 

The animated film – also starring Charlie Day, Seth Rogen, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black – will show a new side of the beloved character. 

"It's a bit of an origin tale," Horvath explained. "It's the story of Mario becoming Super Mario… When you play the game, if you don't give up, Mario will succeed. So we transferred that player experience from the game to a characteristic that Mario would have." 

"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," the Guardians of the Galaxy star told Variety.