Summary
Nintendo has confirmed that Charles Martinet, the longtime voice actor for Mario and various other characters in theSuper Mariofranchise, will not be reprising the role for the upcomingSuper Mario Bros. Wonder.Super Mario Bros. Wonderis set to launch on October 20 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Not a lot has been revealed about the game so far, but it appears to be offering classic side-scrollingSuper Marioaction with plenty of upgrades and interesting twists.
TheSuper Mario Bros. Wonderreveal trailershowcased Mario and friends leaping over obstacles, utilizing new power-ups, and racing to the end of each stage. It was clear from the trailer that the new game will see some major changes made to Mario with more detailed animations and fresh voice lines and sound effects. A persistent rumor since the game’s reveal has pointed to a new voice actor, or actors, voicing the iconic characters in the game, and now that theory has been proven correct.
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Shortly after Nintendo announced thatCharles Martinet is stepping away from his decades-long role of voicing Mario, it was confirmed that the legendary voice actor would not be featured inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. Martinet’s replacement has not been announced at the time of this writing, butSuper Mario Bros. Wonderwill be the first main seriesSuper Mariogame since 1996’sSuper Mario 64to feature someone else voicing the character.
While theSuper Mariovideo games have consistently featured Charles Martinet sinceSuper Mario 64released all the way back in 1996, this wouldn’t be the first time that someone else has played the character. Other actors have voiced Mario in the variousSuper Mariocartoon adaptations, whileBob Hoskins played the live-action version of the characterin the critically-panned 1993Super Mario Bros.movie.
Chris Pratt is the most recent actor to take on the role of Mario, portraying the character in the massively successful film,The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which remains the highest-grossing new movie of the year so far. Martinet also voiced some characters in the movie, perhaps most notably providing thevoice for Mario and Luigi’s dad in the film.
It’s definitely sad to see Charles Martinet step away from voicing Mario, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with the franchise. Nintendo has said that Martinet will now serve as an ambassador fortheSuper Marioseries, representing the brand while he makes appearances all over the world.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderlaunches October 20, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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