Jack Black, the antagonist in the animated film, is already planning options for a sequel in light of The Super Mario Bros Movie’s record-breaking box office weekend ($375.6M globally). Pedro Pascal is the man who the comedian and musician who provided Bowser’s voice wants to take over as Mario’s archenemy.
With roles in The Last of Us on HBO and The Mandalorian on Disney, Pascal is currently in demand. His name and image have recently been used in memes as a potential star in a live-action Mario movie. A concept that was previously brought to life in Super Mario Bros. (in which Mario was portrayed by the late Bob Hoskins).
In an interview with GameSpot, Jack Black said: “Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Wario. Pedro Pascal is Wario”.
Wario is a key character in Nintendo’s Mario series, designed as an arch-rival to Mario. He first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy game Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss. The arch-villain shares many of Mario’s physical traits, including a large moustache.
Asked whether he’s not interested in coming back as Bowser, Jack Black explained it’s simply not a given: “You know, I did a few Kung Fu Panda movies, and it was a different villain every movie. They may do the same thing.”
Black was also open to coming back as Bowser in the potential sequel with a storyline in which he could potentially aid Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) to take on Pascal’s Wario: “You know, what if there is a more powerful, more evil villain? Then I may need to be turned to help Mario and the rest to defend our universe against some other unseen force of evil.”
