John Leguizamo has criticised the all-white cast of the new Super Mario Bros film and the distinct lack of 'Latinx leads'.
The actor, 62, previously played Luigi in the the 1993 live-action and wasn't impressed with the casting choices when Chris Pratt was announced as playing the iconic Italian plumber Mario.
John expressed his concerns regarding the film after the release of the first trailer, he also praised the colour-blind casting decisions of the original that he starred in.
Taking to Twitter he wrote: "So glad #superMariobros is getting a reboot! Obviously it’s iconic [enough].
"But too bad they went all white! No Latinx in the leads! Groundbreaking color-blind casting in original!"
The term Latinx is used as a gender neutral description of those in the Latin community, inclusive of all gender experiences.
He went on to say that he was the only person who could make the move work 'script wise', writing: "Plus I’m the only one who knows how to make this movie work script wise!"
The movie is due to come out in 2023 and sees Chris Pratt take on the iconic role of Mario, with Charlie Day being cast as his brother Luigi.
Anya Taylor-Joy will be taking on the role of the iconic Princess Peach in the movie.
John has been an advocate for Latinx actors in Hollywood for a ling time, with him recently choosing to sit out the 2020 Emmy Awards ceremony when he saw that no Latin actors had been nominated in the acting categories that year.
Earlier this year Chris Pratt spoke to Variety about his decision to take on the role of Mario despite not being of Italian heritage, with the actor hailing from Minnesota some viewers were concerned about his accent.
The Guardians of the Galaxy star said: "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 and hear."
Chris emphasised that it is 'not a live-action movie' and that he won't be seen 'wearing a plumber suit running all over'.
Chris Meledandri, one of the producers of the animated film told TooFab last November: "All I can tell you is the voice that [Chris is] doing for us, and Mario, is phenomenal. Yeah I can't wait for people to hear it."
Meledandri admitted that 'as an Italian-American,' he understood 'the comments' and concerns coming from potential viewers.
The producer pointed out that at least one cast member does have Italian heritage. He said: "Charlie Day, who's playing Luigi, actually comes from Italian heritage. Yeah so that's our nod."
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