The following article contains spoilers forThe Super Mario Bros. MovieThe Super Mario Bros. Movie’s runaway success has all but guaranteed Nintendo fans that a sequel is in order. But whileLuigi’s Mansion,Yoshi’s Island,andDonkey Kong Countryare waiting on the sidelines, Jack Black wants Illumination to bring Pedro Pascal on board as Wario.
Black played Bowser, SuperMario’s most storied villain, in the video game adaptation, which was undoubtedly the go-to option for Mario’s animated debut. Yet when Nintendo decides to come back for a second go, it’s not like the franchise offers that many villains to choose from. So with Pascal being a household name thanks to his lead roles inThe MandalorianandThe Last of Us, it’s no surprise Black thought of the man of the hour as the guy he wants to join the cast.
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In an interview withGamespot, Black said, “It’s not a given that Bowser will return,” citing the Kung-Fu Panda movies as an example. Then he proposed that another more powerful villain could appear, like “Wario. Pedro Pascal is Wario.” His idea came as a thought exercise when asked if Bowser could be -at least- temporarily turned into an ally in a potentialSuper Mario Bros. Moviesequel, but it’s safe to say Black’s words should be taken with a grain of salt.
Why is Pascal on Black’s mind? Well, like most people, the Tenacious D frontman was probably marveled byPascal’s HBO-style Mario skit onSaturday Night Liveback in February. The SNL skit instantly became one of the show’s most viral clips in recent memory. Of course, Black was also asked about his hit song forThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, “Peaches,” although he played dumb during the interview, probably to encourage people to go see the film.
Granted,The Super Mario Bros. Moviedoes not need any help driving people to theaters, as its opening weekend saw it become one of the leading animated films, without accounting for inflation, skipping pastFrozen 2with $377.6 million earned. As for the villains,Mario’s rogue’s gallery isn’t that deep, with Bowser Jr. and the more mysterious foes from the RPG games, such as Count Kleck, Dimentio, or the S-NES' Culex being among the few others.
Perhaps fans will be more interested in seeing Mario, Luigi, and Peach duke it out against other Nintendo villains, as the prospect of an interconnected universe withThe Legend of Zelda,Metroid,andPokémoncouldmake theSuper Smash Bros.dream come true.
The Super Mario Bros. Movieis available in theaters.
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