Super Mario Bros. movie: Jack Black on the rise of game adaptations
Arguably gaming's most recognisable face is once again making the switch to the silver screen.
Chirpy
Italian plumber Mario, now 38 years old, is having the Hollywood
treatment - with producers hoping this attempt is better received than
the infamous 1993 version starring Bob Hoskins.
With
Chris Pratt voicing the moustachioed lead, this is the latest in the
trend of video game worlds, characters and stories being adapted for
television or film.
Jack
Black, who plays the fire-breathing villain Bowser, has told the BBC
that he expects more and more gaming intellectual property to have
similar transformations in years to come.
Speaking
ahead of the film's release, he says: "In the future, film and
television are going to keep going towards using the stories told in
video games, because that market seems to be growing and growing
exponentially.
"The
TV and film industries seem to be seeing a little bit of shrinkage. It
will be interesting to see what happens to the entertainment industry
over the next 20 to 30 years but I think we will be seeing more
storytelling from the gaming universe."
Black
is a big fan of video games. He has his own YouTube channel with a mix
of gaming and music content, and plays a variety of titles from
Minecraft to Doom.
Historically
speaking, gaming adaptations have struggled to be as popular with
critics and fans in a new medium when compared to the originals, but
Black says the recent success of HBO series The Last of Us has proved that gaming stories can work in a linear medium.
He explains: "I'm a fan of adaptations, when done right.
"The
Last of Us was fantastic. And what's crazy is how loyal it is to the
original source material. It's basically all from the game with just a
couple of tweaks. It's going to win all the awards.
"They used the video game almost like a storyboard and I was like, 'Whoa, this looks just the same.'
"And
there are some great games that have yet to be explored in television
or film. Maybe there's going to be a Red Dead Redemption movie? There
should be, because I think that [has] just as good or [an] even better
story than The Last of Us."
Red Dead Redemption also get the Hollywood treatment one day? There are
a whole host of game adaptations currently in the works
The
Super Mario Bros. movie is clearly very different to the
post-apocalyptic world seen in The Last of Us but a successful outing at
the box office will still likely encourage studio bosses to look at
other games that could be adapted.
Critically
speaking, some of the most successful silver screen game adaptations
have been movies like Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu, which
target a younger family audience.
The
Last of Us series being universally praised is a rarity in this field.
Despite the chequered history of gaming themed movies and television -
just take a look at the critical reception to movies such as Assassin's
Creed, Warcraft or Street Fighter, for example - there are a whole host
of projects already underway,
Small
and big screen versions of God of War, Metal Gear Solid, Gears of War,
Ghost of Tsushima, Gran Turismo, Fallout, Death Stranding, Twisted
Metal, Borderlands, Bio Shock and another version of Assassin's Creed
have been officially announced. Others, which have not yet been made
public, are also in the works.
This is clearly a trend that is not going away.
Adapting Mario for cinemas is a no-brainer for Black because, he explains, it comes with an audience ready-made.
Black
says that when he was asked to take on the role of Bowser, "my instinct
was to say 'yes' straight away, but then my agent says, 'Whoa, whoa,
whoa. Wait a second. Let's negotiate with them.'
"But
for me, it's one of those no-brainers. 'They want you to play Bowser in
Super Mario Brothers?' That just sounds like a home run. There's a
built-in audience of kids around the world who are familiar with this
brand. So it's got that, and it's being made by Illumination who have
done some of my favourite animations over the years.
"Who
wouldn't want to party with with that band? It's two ginormous brands
meeting together in a perfect storm of entertainment."
There
is no real linear story to retell with Mario, so this adaptation
borrows a little from the many adventures of the Italian plumber and his
brother Luigi. There are nods to video games like Super Smash Brothers,
Mario Kart and Luigi's Mansion littered throughout the film.
That
sandbox gave the producers freedom to take the story in any direction
they wanted, which allows for some nice moments of fan service but also
makes the film feel a little disjointed - like a series of set-pieces
only loosely tied together.
Black
disagrees with the notion that taking on a brand this big creates more
pressure to be successful: "There's always a little pressure when you're
dealing with something that has a following already. That's not as big a
concern as doing something brand new that no-one's ever heard of.
"Like
how are we going to catch people's interest? What if it goes straight
to the streamers? It's actually a big plus to be dealing with big
characters. It's cool to be the most recognisable villain in the world
of video games."
Now
he's played one of gaming's most famous characters, Black says he's
open to performing as a character in a game for his next job: "I don't
really differentiate, [whether] it's a game or a movie or a cartoon. I
just like to put on a shirt, tell a story, play a character."
For more gaming content, go to Press X to Continue, the BBC Sounds gaming Podcast.The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out in the UK on 5 April.
