If you've wondered why Nintendo has shied away from adapting any of their imaginative franchises for the big screen in recent history, look no further than the collective mess known as the Mario Bros film. This '93 action sci-fi "comedy" contains a bizarre premise and uncharacteristically dark, gritty overlay to the point where it feels like a totally different franchise. What was meant to captive millions of Mario fans is really just viewed now from the lens of a sort of ironic cult status or studied as an odd relic of 90s culture.
But the weirdness doesn't stop at the end product. As it turns out, there are a staggering amount of strange events, factoids, and mishaps that went down with the creation of this film. Some of the circumstances behind this dystopian disappointment are so strange that they prove more fascinating and entertaining than the film itself.
With this established, let's take a Warp Zone back to the 90s and look at some of the craziest details surrounding the Super Mario Bros film.
10 Tom Hanks Almost Played Luigi
The distinguished, lanky Tom Hanks doesn't quite come to mind when one thinks of a mustached plumber. Yet, Hanks was, at one point, offered the role to play the live-action Luigi in the film rendition of the classic gaming series.
Apparently in the early 90s, Who Framed Roger Rabbit star Hoskins' stock was high, while Hanks was viewed as a risky casting choice. Hanks got the last laugh though, as he went on to star in A League of Their Own, Philadephia, and countless hits to follow. Dustin Hoffman and Danny Devito were other contenders to play the iconic plumber.
Oddly enough, Hoskin's on-screen brother Leguizamo had a chance to star in the latter film, which landed Hanks an Academy Award. This no doubt ensured Leguizamo had just as many, if not more regrets in opting for the Mario movie instead of pursuing alternatives.
9 The Director Poured Hot Coffee On An Extra To Make Them Look "Dirtier"
Apparently, the directing duo of Morton and Jankel were no picnic to work with, as cited by Bob Hoskins and others on set in North Carolina to shoot the Mario film. By many accounts, the two had an air of arrogance and stubbornness. King Koopa actor Dennis Hopper claims they were "control freaks" who "wouldn't talk before they made decisions."
This came to a boiling point when Morton apparently poured hot coffee onto an extra that didn't quite look "dirty enough" to fit into the grimy, dark world of the cheekily named "Dinohattan."
8 The Actor Who Played Mario Was Informed By His Son Who Mario Was
While Nintendo was riding high in the early 90s, seemingly inhabiting tons of children's' living rooms, many older folks had yet to catch on. Ironically, this was the case of the actor who played the mushroom gobbling plumber himself.
In fact, he wasn't aware who Mario was until being informed by his son, who was very much a fan of the plumber and of Nintendo. His son promptly brought Bob up to speed by showing him the game on his Nintendo. Still, it's not like this "research" would matter much, given how far the film's content drifted from the source material.
7 Hoskins And Leguizamo Drank On Set To Get Them Through Filming
Being an actor could be a fulfilling gig - though it can also be a nightmare, especially with an incohesive mess like the Super Mario Bros film. Supposedly, Mario and Luigi's actors Hoskins and Leguizamo loathed the conditions, production team, and script so much, they eased the drudgery by resorting to Mr. Booze on set.
Hey, the life of a reptile-fighting plumber can be a stressful one... Perhaps they figured it would be tough to notice the difference anyway, given the cheesy, over-the-top acting and goofy premise that permeated the film.
6 A Revolving Door Of Directors, Writers, And Producers
When looking at the chaotic "hot potato" of directors, producers, and especially writers at the helm of the Super Mario Bros film, it makes sense why it turned into the spectacular mess it became. There were simply too many cooks in the Mushroom Kingdom kitchen.
The original choice in directors, Greg Beeman, was quickly given the boot, and Harold Ramis was offered the role by the producers, but declined. Nintendo and the producers eventually settled on the avant-guard and darker tinged husband-wife duo of Morton and Jankel of Max Headroom fame.
Following this was an endless revolving door of writers passing along, rewriting, and tweaking scripts. These included writers that worked on Richie Rich, Die Hard, and Bill & Ted. Naturally, this produced the weird hodgepodge of dark dystopian sci-fi, fantasy, and lighthearted comedic themes the movie warped into.
5 Nintendo Wanted A Darker Tinged Mario Movie To Compete With Sega
While the Super Mario Bros movie contains a sort of colorful sci-fi Ghostbusters tone throughout, it's also shot quite dark and gritty. It even sprinkles in a few raunchier bits like Mario essentially burying his face in a woman's chest to secure her necklace.
It's true that the movie often feels and looks a bit more akin to The Running Man or Blade Runner rather than a film based on a colorful and cheery platformer for kids. Yet, this was intentional - at least partly so. Nintendo and Miyamoto had grown a bit concerned with the bizarre, darker vibe the movie was shaping up to be. At the same time, this is what the directors thrived on, so why not let them roll with it?
It was also no doubt a factor that Sega was increasingly pinning the company as "childish" while cranking out older-themed titles like Mortal Kombat. Nintendo soon learned the hard way that darker doesn't inherently equal "better."
4 Hoskins Can Often Be Seen Wearing A Disguised Cast Because Of An Injury While Filming
Since it's been established the lead actors of the Mario Bros movie were hitting the sauce quite a bit to cope with the awful conditions of filming, it should surprise no one that both actors suffered the occasional injury on set.
He and Leguizamo had supposedly crashed a car at one point, and Hoskins additionally had a van door slammed on his finger. This led to the actor having to sport a flesh-colored cast for the remainder of filming. While at least partially masked, it can sometimes be spotted on his hand in the final footage.
3 The "De-Evolution Guns Are Merely Disguised SNES Super Scopes
The concept of a large futuristic blaster with an ability to warp and "devolve" a living being is a neat one. Yet, it becomes significantly less cool when you learn just what these guns were. These supposedly high-tech bazookas featured at various showdowns in the film were nothing more than SNES Super Scope light guns decorated and painted over to look more "sci-fi."
Talk about cheap and lazy! It's a wonder they didn't resort to decorating the city streets with wandering R.O.B. Robots or lace up the actors with spruced-up Power Gloves to use during action scenes.
2 A Scaled Back Ending Due To Restrictions In Time And Budget
Whether they be restraints of time or money, films often come with limiting restrictions, even those financially backed by a major studio like Nintendo. Though the Mario film was especially stinted by a rocky a production process that went well over budget, and several weeks over its allotted schedule. Dennis Hopper claims he was supposed to be on set for a mere 5 weeks, which mushroomed into 17.
Because of these hurdles, a number of scenes had to be cut or stripped down from the original vision. This included a big finale, which devolved from the climax of Mario scaling the Brooklyn Bridge and dropping an explosive Bob-Omb on Koopa, to merely zapping him with a glorified Super Scope.
1 The Yoshi Puppet Took Several Puppeteers To Operate
Despite its vast departure from its source material, there are some subtle call-backs to familiar Mario lore, environments, and characters. One that's often forgotten about is the Jurassic Park-esque dinosaur puppet meant to represent Yoshi. The 90s truly was the decade of the dinosaurs in film...
This little guy only appears in a few brief scenes that clock in at about 2 minutes, though it's understandable considering the complexities involved in bringing Yoshi to life. Apparently, this weird little puppet required 200 feet of cable crammed inside and rigged to handle its 64 separated movements. It also was controlled by a whopping 9 puppeteers! Mama mia!