Update - 23:13BST, 14-05-2025: Nintendo has confirmed that Charles Martinet is not involved in the upcoming title Super Mario Bros. Wonder and has been replaced by a different voice actor. Original story follows.
Decades-longMariovoice actor, Charles Martinet, is “stepping back” from the role. This was just revealed byNintendo, who say Martinet will instead take on the new role of “Mario Ambassador.”
No reason has been shared for the departure, and it’s not clear which party decided that Martinet won’t be voicing Mario in future games. The statement also makes no mention of a recasting process, so there’s no indication of who has replaced him after so long in the role.
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“Charles is now moving into the brand new role of Mario Ambassador,” reads the short statement shared by Nintendo’s social media moments ago. “With this transition, he will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he’ll continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all!
“It has been an honour working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him. Please keep an eye out for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself.”
While no reason for the huge career move has been shared, Martinet himself has shared the statement with a positive message. “My new Adventure begins,“says Martinet. “You are all Numba One in my heart!”
It’s not clear what the role of “Mario Ambassador” will entail, but it certainly seems to be a sign that Nintendo wants to keep Martinet close. This is hardly surprising, as Martinet’s “wahoos!” and “It’s-a mes!” have been an iconic part of so many childhoods. In fact, Martinet defined the Mario series so much that we can expect the next actor to stick with his take on the character, rather than try something new.
Fans had feared thatMartinet was replaced in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, feeling that Mario’s voice sounded different. After the announcement of Martinet’s departure, Nintendo confirmed that this was indeed the case, with Mario already recast in Wonder.
It’s no surprise that fans have been particularly protective of Martinet in recent months. Controversially, he didn’t get to play the plumber in the Mario Movie, instead replaced by Chris Pratt. This prompted backlash from fans andeven fellow actor, Tara Strong. Strong went as far as tweeting that it “should be Charles” in the role after the first trailer dropped.Martinet thanked fans for the “love and kindness"during that time, suggesting that he was also disappointed to not play Mario in the movie.
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