SNL is bringing The Last of Us treatment to a fake Mario Kart adaptation, and the trailer is brilliant

Pedro Pascal applied his gruff portrayal of Joel from The Last of Us to a very different breed of video game character: Mario.

In a spoof teaser for an entirely made-up TV adaptation of Mario Kart on Saturday Night Live last night (Feb. 4), Pascal and the SNL team revealed what could happen if HBO gave the same kind of treatment to a Mario adaptation would apply. And be brilliant.

“HBO’s The Last of Us is a hit and proves that a video game can become a prestigious dystopian drama. In the spring, HBO is doing it again with another iconic game,” claims the profound – if overly dramatic – voiceover.

“It’s been ten years since our kingdom fell,” explains another voice. “The only thing we have left? Hope.”

The character then approaches a shadowy figure and drops a very familiar looking golden coin on the table. “I have important cargo I need to smuggle to Rainbow Road.

“People say many things,” the character replies, turning to face them. “It’s me Mario.”

And so it begins. Expect guest appearances from Yoshi, Luigi, Toad, Bowser, and Princess Peach, of course, along with plenty of real-world props that bring so many of the franchise’s iconic items – mushrooms, flowers, Pakkun/Piranha plants, and more – to life as Mario fights for them , “helping a princess get to the Rainbow Road”.

HBO’s critically acclaimed adaptation of The Last of Us has been making headlines — and breaking records — of late. The latest installment, which marked the television series’ first major departure from the original source material, received widespread acclaim and decimated tissue boxes around the world. Episode 4 airs tomorrow Monday 6th February on Sky Atlantic and Now TV in the UK.

The Last of Us: Part 1 will arrive on PC a little later than expected, with Naughty Dog announcing a new release date of March 28th to ensure the game arrives “in the best possible form”.