The popularity of video game adaptations has increased now that people are more adept at creating them. The first adaptations to do it right were animated, and soon after, live-action films and TV shows followed suit. In the end, we got HBO’s The Last of Us, which is poised to rank among the best video game adaptations ever created.
Other networks are undoubtedly rushing to sign on a major video game IP given the success HBO has had with only three episodes. It appears, though, that Mario, the biggest of them all, has already signed on with Saturday Night Live.
A dark and gritty trailer for an HBO adaptation of one of the most well-known video game IPs, Mario Kart, was created by SNL using the celebrity of the moment, Pedro Pascal, in one of its signature skits.
HBO's adapting another iconic game pic.twitter.com/YtsIswwSBb
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 5, 2023
Ten years have passed after the Mushroom Kingdom was overthrown, and someone wants to smuggle some valuable goods. Pascal takes the lead role. Mario accepts the mission of sneaking Princess Peach to the Rainbow Road despite appearing weary of the world.
Walking through the kingdom now that Bowser is in charge is risky, so Mario and Peach are forced to use a kart.
For an SNL parody, the visual effects in the teaser are actually rather impressive. Pascal was just required to don an over-the-top Italian accent and deliver a few memorable lines because he is accustomed to playing a worn-down man. Also making an appearance are Yoshi, Toad, and Luigi.
Pascal’s acting prowess, however, really comes to light when he tells Peach that he must consume the mushrooms in order to feel “large” enough to confront Bowser.
I haven’t really watched an SNL sketch in a long, but this one is truly brilliant. Because of the more nuanced interpretations of what it means to adapt a video game into a live-action film, rather than the obvious similarities between this and HBO’s TLOU. The New York Times and Variety’s conflicted reviews were possibly the most genuine.
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