Charlie Day says Danny DeVito could be the perfect Wario for a future Super Mario Bros. movie, leaning on their longtime on-screen chemistry.
A bold casting idea is spreading fast among animated-movie fans: Charlie Day is publicly campaigning for Danny DeVito to play Wario in a future SUPER MARIO BROS. movie, and it’s hard to see why people aren’t instantly sold.
Day, known for voicing Luigi in The Super Mario Bros.. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, floated the suggestion during an interview.. He argued that DeVito would “fit so well” in the world and would be an effective Wario. a character defined by greed. swagger. and unrestrained anti-hero energy.. For viewers who already associate DeVito with unpredictable. high-voltage comedy. the pitch feels less like a stretch and more like a logical match.
The core of Day’s case rests on something fans can measure instantly: chemistry.. Over more than two decades. Day and DeVito have worked together on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. where DeVito plays Frank Reynolds.. That long-running partnership has given audiences a sense of how well the two comedic forces can bounce off one another. which is why transferring that momentum into the Mario universe feels like a “natural evolution” to many.
Wario, after all, is a character built for exaggeration.. Day’s framing points toward a particular kind of performance—one that embraces eccentricity without softening it.. In that sense, the comparison to DeVito’s “wild” Frank Reynolds persona isn’t just playful.. It’s a hint at the kind of tone Day believes Wario would benefit from: chaotic. committed. and unmistakably larger than life.
DeVito’s history with off-kilter, memorable characters is also part of why the idea is gaining traction.. The report highlighted his portrayal of The Penguin in Batman Returns. a performance associated with being strange. unsettling. and fully committed to its own weirdness.. That willingness to lean into eccentric roles is exactly the sort of character actor energy that fans often expect when a part like Wario—equal parts menace and mischief—is on the table.
While the idea is still speculative, the timing matters because the Mario film franchise is clearly expanding its footprint.. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie broadened the world significantly. introducing characters including Fox McCloud. Princess Rosalina. and even the adorable Pikmin.. That kind of expanding cast suggests the franchise is looking for more varied personalities to bring onto the screen. making a Wario appearance feel like it could fit the direction the films are taking.
The conversation around a future third installment is also part of the momentum.. The sequel is reported to be pulling massive box office numbers and looking like one of the year’s biggest hits. which strengthens the sense that more Mario movies are on the way.. In that scenario. fans often start looking early at who might be added next. and Wario has become the popular target.
Beyond fan excitement. there’s a practical question underneath the hype: whether Nintendo and Illumination are thinking in the same direction.. If a role like Wario is brought in later. it wouldn’t just be about star power—it would be about finding a voice and performance style that matches the character’s greed-driven chaos.. DeVito’s track record and the public enthusiasm from Day raise the possibility that the casting conversation could align with what audiences are already imagining.
For now. the suggestion remains a fan-fueled pitch backed by Day’s own enthusiasm and his clear familiarity with voicing in the Mario world.. With The Super Mario Galaxy Movie currently in theaters. the debate is likely to grow as more viewers see how the franchise handles tone. character variety. and the bigger-than-life personalities the next movie would need to keep the momentum going.
Charlie Day Danny DeVito Wario casting Super Mario Bros movie Illumination Nintendo animation