John Leguizamo says 'it's unfortunate' Chris Pratt was cast as Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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Super Mario Bros. alum John Leguizamo has criticized the casting of Chris Pratt in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.The 62-year-old actor, who portrayed the role of Luigi in the 1993 live-action film, spoke with Indiewire Tuesday on the topic of the animated movie that is due in theaters next year.He questioned why filmmakers would go 'backwards' in not casting an actor of color into one of the roles of Mario and Luigi in placing Pratt, 43, and Charlie Day, 46, in the titular roles.

The latest: Super Mario Bros. alum John Leguizamo, 62, has criticized the casting of Chris Pratt, 43, in The Super Mario Bros.

Movie 'I’m O.G. A lot of people love the original,' said the Bogotá, Colombia-born star, who performed opposite the late Bob Hoskins in the original film. 'I did Comic-Con in New York and in Baltimore, and everyone’s like, "No, no, we love the old one, the original." They’re not feeling the new one.

I’m not bitter. It’s unfortunate.'The Emmy-winning actor revealed the behind-the-scenes battles in working on the original film. 'The directors Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton fought really hard for me to be the lead because I was a Latin man, and they [the studio] didn’t want me to be the lead,' Leguizamo said. 'They fought really hard, and it was such a breakthrough.'Leguizamo, who has also been seen in films such as Summer of Sam, Spawn, Moulin Rouge!