Nintendo’s iconic video game Mario Kart doesn’t exactly seem like it would be good material for a TV show adaptation. But that didn’t stop Saturday Night Live from trying as part of their recent skit.
The latest SNL episode featured Pedro Pascal, who stars in HBO’s series based on the hit video game Last of Us, as a host. As part of hosting duties, Pascal took part in several sketches, including the spoof trailer for the dystopian series adaptation of Mario Kart.
In the trailer, Pascal plays the legendary video game character Super Mario who is tasked with taking Princess Peach to Rainbow Road in a kart vehicle. Along the way, the duo meets other Mario Kart characters like Luigi, Yoshi, and Toad while also facing numerous obstacles presented to them by the villain Bowser.
Instead of taking on the playful and colorful tone of the original game, the trailer goes with the gritty and post-apocalyptic feel of the Last of Us. As a result, “all your favorite wacky racers are reimagined as complex, dramatic HBO characters.”
While we probably won’t see Mario Kart adapted for real, especially not in this manner, we are getting an animated adaptation based on the Mario franchise soon. Titled The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it stars Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario alongside a star-studded supporting voice cast that includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armisen.
