will star as the voice of in an upcoming "" movie, in one of showbiz's most unlikely castings.
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" actor will voice Mario, the tubby Italian plumber who changed the world of video games with the release of "Super Mario Bros." 36 years ago, Nintendo announced on on Thursday.
The film will also star "" star Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, ""'s Charlie Day as Mario's brother Luigi, and as villain Bowser.
None of the cast is Italian -- something that has sparked fierce debate and countless jokes on social media. Whether the actors will adopt Italian accents is unknown, but in a video posted to , Pratt said he had been "working hard" on the character's voice.
Pratt also reflected that the role was a dream come true, saying he often played the arcade game as a child.
The animated film, , will hit theaters in North America in December 2022, Nintendo said.
