As the proud creator of some of gaming’s most successful franchises, it continues to be somewhat of a surprise that Nintendo has done little to extend their reach into the world of cinema. Then again, with the now infamous 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie serving as an eternal reminder of how not to do video game adaptations, it’s perhaps with an overwhelming justification that the Big N has refused to take that risk again since.
Whatever the reason, with fans of the company’s exhaustive list of mascots now numbering in their millions and video game films arguably more popular than ever, now’s definitely the perfect time to reconsider. In an effort to help sway that decision, many prolific artists have provided their own take on how live-action versions of various characters could look like and now, thanks to Jackson Caspersz’s latest work of art, we can add Super Smash Bros. to that pile.
No, this might not be the stoutly-proportioned Mario you’re perhaps used to, but hey, we certainly wouldn’t say no to seeing this interpretation actually becoming a reality. Check out Joe Manganiello as the overalled plumber, no doubt as you’ve never seen him before, down below.
Amazing, right? Even better than that, Caspersz says that this concept is likely to be just the first of many and wants to know which character his followers would like to see get similar treatment next. Luigi is the obvious choice, of course, though given the growth spurt that Mario has undergone, we’re equally excited and a little frightened by what Caspersz’s version of the taller sibling would look like.
Think you’ve got the perfect celeb/video game combo in mind? Sound off in the comments below!