Jack Black reveals dream Wario casting for Mario sequel
Illumination Entertainment is powering up the Mushroom Kingdom, as The Super Mario Bros. Movie breaks records at the box office and wins over fans. Critics haven't been as kind to the animated adventure, but hey, what do they know?
As talk turns to the inevitable sequel, fans and actors are giving their choices for who should jump down the warp pipe next. Although we expect Jack Black's Bowser to return in some form, the man himself has pitched another villain for a Mario movie sequel. Is that Wario's signature "waah" we can hear?
Who does Jack Black want to play Mario in a sequel?
First introduced in 1992's middling Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins on the Game Boy, Wario was the antithesis of Mario as a greedy treasure hunter. Perceptions toward Wario have softened over the years, and he's become something of an antihero in his Wario Land and WarioWare games.
Wario is an easy fit for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, and speaking to GameSpot, Black has championed Pedro Pascal for the role. "Wario," said Black. "Pedro Pascal is Wario."
"It's not a given that Bowser will return. You know, I did a few Kung Fu Panda movies, and it was a different villain every movie. They may do the same thing," explained Black.
"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. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Pascal is literally everywhere right now, and after his breakout role in Game of Thrones, has starred in everything from Narcos to The Mandalorian. Most recently, he tackled another major video game adaptation, playing Joel Miller in HBO's The Last of Us.
The star is no stranger to Mario, and performed a Saturday Night Live skit that imagined a Mario Kart movie in the style of The Last of Us. Black fan casting has blown up online, with others championing Pascal as the perfect pilferer of coins in Mario 2.
What do we know about a Mario movie sequel?
Apart from Pratt pretty much confirming a sequel, there's been plenty of chatter about a Mario Cinematic Universe. Charlie Day has thrown his green hat into the ring for a Luigi's Mansion spin-off, and the pieces are in place for any number of other segues.
The post-credit scene for The Super Mario Bros. Movie teased a fan-favourite arrival, while there's a theory on Kamek being the big bad of the sequel. Wario would be a welcome addition, and whether Pascal or someone else, we can't wait to see that beefy boy waddle into our lives.
