Fans recently received the news that Brie Larson was voicing the role of Rosalina in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, a sequel to the 2023 hit movie The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Larson was confirmed for the movie alongside Benny Safdie, who would voice the role of Bowser Jr. (via IGN).
However, there are concerns surrounding Larson’s casting in the role, especially after what happened to the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels. Film critic Grace Randolph shared her concern on X, sharing that Larson’s appearance can “tank” the new sequel to the billion-dollar hit movie.
If anything can tank the new Super Mario Bros movie, it’s Brie Larson… pic.twitter.com/9QvjjICp9H
In a second tweet, Randolph explained that she wasn’t jumping on the hate train against Larson. She shared that there was plenty of evidence to back that Larson’s involvement could potentially harm the movie. She shared that the Marvel star had a history of making comments in press tours that turned the audience against her.
She claimed that it was Larson’s reputation that probably derailed The Marvels, sharing,
…that sequel ruined a billion dollar character.
She further defended her comments by pointing out that she spoke in support of Barbie and Elle Fanning’s role in Predator.
Hate channels are a scourge on entertainment & the industry
But this idea that we therefore can’t say ANYTHING negative when there’s plenty of evidence to back it up is insane
I just spent all last week defending Elle Fanning in Predator and got a ton of hate for defending… https://t.co/OaT7Xa5uKI
While many fans agreed with Randolph’s views, there were many fans who criticized her take. They shared that Randolph was undermining the Super Mario fanbase by stating that Larson’s involvement would harm the movie. Others pointed out how Larson was a longtime fan of Nintendo, which fans would potentially love about her (via @Mattyplayzbass).
Brie Larson’s Love for Super Mario and Other Nintendo Games Explained
Nintendo Direct dropped a full trailer of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which featured the characters of Rosalina and Bowser Jr. Brie Larson and Benny Safdie would join returning cast members, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, and Jack Black as Bowser.
The character of Rosalina was first introduced in the Super Mario Galaxy game, where she is the adoptive mother of Lumas. Larson is a big-time fan of the game, sharing her love for the game with IGN back in 2005. She shared:
I like the Mario Brothers with the mushrooms and happy music and Bowser. I can’t do the shooting games, so I’ve never really been into PlayStation.
In an interview video on her YouTube channel, Larson claimed that she once threw her boyfriend out of her house for distracting her while she played Super Mario Galaxy. She shared,
He said that I was taking it too seriously, so I threw him out of my house.
She also loves to play other Nintendo games like The Legend of Zelda. In this video from ET, you can see the Oscar-winning actress talking about her Nintendo Game Boy on the set of the movie, Kong: Skull Island. She is an ambassador for the company and has appeared in promotions of the Nintendo Switch and several of its games.
She has had controversial takes on Nintendo Games as well, including her 2015 comment that Super Mario World 3D is “one of the greatest achievements in Nintendo history.” She is an avid gamer who is also into Beat Saber and Fortnite.
@surprisederu Super Mario 3D World is one of the greatest achievements in Nintendo History.
The Hate Train Against Brie Larson Explained
Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel may not be the best of Marvel’s efforts, but the movie did deliver a satisfactory experience. However, it brought about the toxic backlash against the actress after Marvel’s attempt to establish Carol Danvers as the strongest Avenger. There were attempts to review bomb the movie on Rotten Tomatoes prior to its release.
Her political statements at the time also drew backlash from fans. Larson criticized her press days, which, according to her, were (via Marie Claire UK)
…overwhelmingly white males.
She further drew ire when she spoke out against the male fans who were hating on the Carol Danvers character. However, it was expected that the backlash would stop after the success of the movie.
But the attacks against Larson continued on social media, to the point where The Glass Castle actress became a lot less active on the platforms. Larson’s The Marvels ended its theatrical run with $206 million at the box office. The budget of the film was enormously high, making it a huge box office bomb. According to Forbes, Disney made the film on a gross budget of $374 million.
Speculations arose that Larson could possibly quit the role after the hate she received for both her MCU appearances. It was also suggested in the book, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, that she “grew disillusioned” with her role (via ScreenRant). The author of the book, Joanna Robinson, later shared on The Watch podcast:
[Marvel Studios] put Brie Larson in [a prominent place in the MCU]. I don’t know if Brie Larson was the wrong person for the role, necessarily. But the toxic backlash means that Brie Larson doesn’t want to play Carol Danvers anymore.
When Extra asked about her upcoming MCU projects at the 2024 SAG Awards, she simply shook her head and said, “I don’t have anything to say about that.” However, during an interview with ET, she shared that there was “still so much inside of Carol” to explore.
What do you think of her new role in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie? Let us know in the comments below!
