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

Pedro Pascal has taken his gruff portrayal of The Last of Us’ Joel and applied it to an entirely different kind of video game character: Mario.

In a spoof teaser for a completely made-up TV adaptation of Mario Kart on Saturday Night Live last night (4th February), Pascal and the SNL team showed what could happen if HBO applied the same kind of treatment to a Mario adaptation. And it’s brilliant.

“HBO’s The Last of Us is a hit, proving that a video game can become a prestige dystopian drama. In Spring, HBO is doing it again with another iconic game,” claims the profound – if overdramatic – voiceover.

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

The character then approaches a shadowy figure and drops a very familiar-looking golden coin onto the table. “I have important cargo I need smuggled to Rainbow Road. People say you used to drive?”

“People say a lot of things,” the figure responds, turning towards them. “It’s a-me, Mario.”

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

HBO’s critically-acclaimed adaptation of The Last of Us has been making headlines – and breaking records – lately. Its most recent instalment, which marked the television series’ first major deviation from the original source material, received widespread acclaim, decimating 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 28th March release date to ensure the game arrives “in the best possible shape”.