Charlie Day is throwing his full support behind a fan-favorite casting idea that has been gaining momentum for years: Danny DeVito as Wario in the expanding Super Mario animated movie franchise.
Day, who reprises his role as Luigi in the newly released Super Mario Galaxy Movie, told ScreenRant this week that DeVito is his top pick to bring the rotund, greedy villain to life.
“Danny would fit so well in this universe, and he would be a good Wario, I think,” Day said.
Day and DeVito have worked alongside each other for roughly two decades on the long-running FX comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where DeVito joined the cast during Season 2 back in 2006. Anyone familiar with DeVito’s comedic range, his gravelly delivery, and his talent for playing hilariously self-serving characters can immediately see why Day and countless fans believe he would nail the role. Wario, Mario’s scheming and odorous antithesis, has yet to receive a prominent voice acting credit in the Nintendo cinematic universe.
This is not the first time DeVito’s name has come up in connection with the role, and the actor himself has played coy in the best possible way. Speaking to The Movie Dweeb in May 2024, DeVito made clear he was open to the opportunity. “You never know what happens in the world. I’m up for a lot of things. I’m ready to do a lot of things, so, whatever’s coming, I look at, I see, I evaluate,” he said. He went a step further and sent a message directly to Mario voice actor Chris Pratt. “Yeah, let him know. You should tell him that I’m going to take them to the cleaners, but I should be in the movie.”
Day is not alone in championing a specific casting vision for the role. Jack Black, who voices Bowser in the film series, previously advocated for Pedro Pascal to play Wario around the time The Super Mario Bros. Movie premiered in 2023, adding even more fuel to the ongoing conversation about which direction Nintendo and Illumination might take the character.
DeVito has spent decades perfecting the art of playing characters who are loud, chaotic, and gleefully self-interested without ever losing their comedic appeal. His voice is immediately distinctive, and his screen presence, even in animated form, tends to dominate every scene he inhabits. Wario is a character defined by exaggerated greed and an almost cartoonish lack of self-awareness, qualities that align naturally with what DeVito brings to nearly every role he touches.
With the original Super Mario Bros. Movie having grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide and the sequel now in theaters, the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. Whether or not Wario appears in a future installment remains to be seen, but with Day speaking up, DeVito already on record as enthusiastic, and fans louder than ever, this casting conversation is unlikely to quiet down anytime soon.
