Garfield fans left fuming after Chris Pratt announced as voice of comic book cat
Ah, Garfield. The original grumpy cat. He is a lover of lasagne and hater of Mondays.
But what do his fans seem to hate most of all at the moment? Hollywood actor Chris Pratt.
Yep, the guy who copped a flaying on social media for not even attempting Mario's accent in The Super Mario Bros Movie is getting another shot at another legendary pop culture icon, as per Deadline.
And, after the announcement that Pratt will lend his voice to tabby cat, fans raced to social media to share their frustration over the studio's choice of star.
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One user said: "I think we can all be honest with ourselves and admit that though Chris Pratt is playing Garfield, he’s more of an Odie."
A second added" "NO NO NO NOOOOO GARFIELD MY POOR BABY NO."
A third chipped in with: "Yet another example of casting the more popular person, not the person best for the role. This is sadly never going to stop being a big problem in Hollywood."
Another person asked rather bluntly: "Who did he blackmail to get him these parts?"
One person also chipped in with a question, asking: "Did all the other men in Hollywood lose their voices?"
Garfield was previously voiced on the big screen with Bill Murray in two live-action and CGI hybrid films that received mixed reviews.
Fans on social media are now expressing fear that Pratt will taint the character created by Jim Davis.
And they may have a point, as he did butcher Mario's iconic accent in his latest feature film. Instead of going with a strong Italian-American accent, Pratt went for a subtler tone instead.
And, hoo boy. His decision didn't sit well with fans of the original games, who slammed his portrayal when the trailer came out last October, with some English-speaking viewers going as far as saying they'd rather watch it dubbed in French.
And, ahead of the Nintendo movie copping a whole boat-load of hate over Mario's voice, Pratt did admit he was 'surprised' by the negative reactions to his performance.
"To develop the voice, I sampled various Italian and New York accents," Pratt told Variety in an email.
"As the directors and I developed the character, we came to land on a voice that is different from Charles Martinet's version of Mario, but also different from my own voice."
"My hope is that people will come into the movie with an open mind and that once they see the film, any criticism around Mario's accent will disappear," he added.
The actor has previously urged fans to go watch the movie before voicing their criticisms, assuring the film 'really honors' the game.
"In all honesty, the answer is that this is a passionate fan base, and I understand, I'm a part of it," Pratt told ExtraTV last month.
"This is the soundtrack to your youth, and you don't want someone to come along and cynically destroy it as a cash grab with the movie, " he continued, adding: "The movie really honors the video game."
Topics: Film and TV, Entertainment, Chris Pratt, Social Media
Rachel Lang