“Did any child in the ’80s not play Super Mario Brothers?”
It’s a question that’s helped pile on the pressure when it comes to the latest iteration of the classic video game – which is one of the best-selling of all time.
The franchise has already seen numerous games, an animated TV series and animated Japanese film, a live action US movie and even a theme park – all cementing its place in popular culture.
Now, moustachioed plumbers Mario and Luigi are getting the Hollywood treatment in a feature-length animation voiced by Jurassic Park actor Chris Pratt and It’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Charlie Day.
Both admit that now “screwing up” has been foremost on their mind.
Pratt tells Sky News: “The pressure of these characters, you know, you feel it.
“There’s a built-in expectation… all of this nostalgia, of loving the games as a kid, the score, the characters, little Easter eggs.
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“Anyone who played Nintendo growing up or loved these characters, you’re going to go to the movie.
“That same thing that has you thinking: ‘Oh, please don’t screw this up – it’s such a big part of my childhood,’ is the same thing that will be so elated and joyful when you see the film, because we didn’t screw it up thankfully.”
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Day adds: “Especially just how passionate everyone is, everyone grew up with the characters. They love them. Look, our job is just do the best acting we can do.”
However, some fans of the game have already been critical of Pratt’s casting, highlighting his lack of Italian ancestry and pouring scorn on his Brooklyn accent.
Image: Pratt and wife Katherine Schwarzenegger at Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios, Hollywood
Day is quick to defend his co-star: “I have as much Italian descent as Robert De Niro, so yeah [I do have Italian heritage], but I’m going to vouch for my buddy Chris here and say, as having seen the movie, his performance is top notch.
“I think everyone, just wait to see the movie and make the decision afterwards because the guy does a fantastic job.”
Despite the backlash, Pratt says it was a part he jumped at.
“For the most part you don’t know much about Mario and Luigi playing the video games or Princess Peach or Wario or Yoshi or any of these characters,” he says.
“[Mario’s] essentially a blue-collar, American worker. And when Illumination [the animation company behind the film] called and thought I would be right for that role, I was just like: ‘Of course I’m going to do this’. I was thrilled.”
Mario first appeared as a character in Donkey Kong in 1981, getting his own arcade game in 1983, which was then turned into a platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985.
Meanwhile, Japanese company Nintendo was founded in 1889, originally producing handmade playing cards, before branching out into consoles in the late 1970s.
Image: Mario takes on Donkey Kong. Pic: Nintendo and Universal Studios
Now, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, this the second American feature-length adaptation of the game, following the largely maligned 1993 adaptation starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. Producers will be hoping this version is a bigger success.
A few years ago, video game adaptations for TV and film were synonymous with a flop.
But with adaptations of games like The Last Of Us, The Witcher and Arcane (the first video game adaptation to win a primetime Emmy) achieving both critical and commercial success – many see this as the time for gaming to truly step into the mainstream.
The video game industry is worth hundreds of billions of pounds globally and is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK. With many turning to gaming during lockdown, it’s a hobby that has only increased in popularity over recent years.
Image: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey (L-R) in The Last Of Us, the hit TV series based on a video game. Pic: HBO/Sky Atlantic
Day says: “We’ve gotten better at it, right? I think a few years ago, you’re going way back, there’s been a big sort of space between the video game movies.
“Right now, I think now they’re making movies with as much attention as they’re making any other story. I think before [it] was a little bit like: ‘Well, it’s just a one-off for kids’.”
Meanwhile, Pratt, who is married to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter Katherine, has received positive feedback from his A-list in-laws.
He says: “I took my brother-in-law, Christopher [Schwarzenegger, 25, Arnold’s youngest son], who’s a big gamer.
“[He] grew up playing all these games, and he said: ‘I think that’s the best video game movie I’ve ever seen’. Pretty high praise.”
Fans of the franchise will be pleased to know there could be more to come.
Day says: “Illumination [the US studio who teamed up with Nintendo to make film], they really bring a lot of what is in the game, and not just the first game but many of the Mario games – and other Nintendo games too.”
Pratt adds: “It kind of gets you excited about the possibility of like this Nintendo Cinematic Universe, which is pretty cool. Probably you’re going to see more characters over the next 10 years, I hope.”
With both stars having 11-year-old boys, will their reaction to the movie be the real litmus test for audience reception?
Pratt and Day think not.
“I think my toughest critic is probably going to be some middle-aged man living in his basement somewhere,” Day says.
“But I think my boy is going to be fine with it.”
Pratt agrees – and with both boys “beyond excited” to see their dads take on one of the greatest video games of all time, only time will tell what the rest of the world thinks of the Super Mario Brothers’ latest adventure.
The Israeli embassy has said it’s “deeply disturbed” by chants of “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury – as police also investigate the incident.
Video shows one of the members of Bob Vylan shouting the slogan into the mic and some of the crowd joining in.
The duo were performing ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish act who the prime minister said should be ditched from the line-up.
“The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival,” a statement said.
It said slogans like Saturday’s chant “advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel”.
Image: The BBC said some of the comments by Bob Vylan were ‘deeply offensive’. Pic: PA
The post on X added: “When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.”
Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed.
Bob Vylan also performed in front of a screen quoting a claim that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC boss Tim Davie for an “urgent explanation” about what due diligence it carried out into Bob Vylan.
Image: Thousands watched the set on the West Holts stage. Pic: PA
A spokesman said the government strongly condemned the “threatening comments” by the group, whose X bio describes them as a “punk/rap/alt thing”.
A BBC statement said: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive.
“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language.
“We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch re-posted a clip of the incident and called it “grotesque”.
“Violence against Jews isn’t edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked,” she said on X.
A statement from Glastonbury Festival said it “does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers”.
Image: Kneecap also performed – with the BBC not showing them live. Pic: Reuters
Irish group Kneecap followed Bob Vylan – with the broadcaster not carrying their performance live amid concern over what they might do or say.
However, it’s understood their show will be made available on demand after a review.
One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offence in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terror group Hezbollah at a gig.
Image: Pic: Reuters
Image: There were Palestinian flags among the crowd for Kneecap’s show. Pic: Reuters
Bandmate Naoise O Caireallain told the packed Glastonbury crowd they should “start a riot outside the courts”, before clarifying: “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
O hAnnaidh – also known as Mo Chara – wore a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf for Saturday’s set and told fans he was a “free man”.
There was a moment in Calum Scott’s life when he found himself contemplating taking his own life.
The 36-year-old singer-songwriter tells Sky News: “I did get to a point where I had a very low self-esteem, very low self-worth… I thought, ‘I can’t see how my life will get any better from this moment’.”
He says it was only the thought of the “shattering” impact his death would have on his mum Debbie that pulled him back from the edge and gave him the momentum to reach out for help.
“What I thought was my lowest moment was probably my most defining moment in terms of being able to pick myself up… and to walk away, albeit with lots of tears and a lot of emotion.
“That was the moment that I needed to pursue better mental health.”
Image: Calum Scott has achieved a billion streams of his music. Pic: Tom Cockram
He’s since racked up a billion streams of his music, joining the likes of The Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston and ABBA in his achievement.
His biggest UK chart hit – a cover of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own – reached number two in the singles chart, with the video having been viewed more than half a billion times on YouTube.
It’s a future he would have found hard to comprehend just a decade ago.
Scott was working in the HR department of Hull City Council when Britain’s Got Talent made him an overnight star after receiving a “golden buzzer” (an automatic pass into the semi-finals) from judge Simon Cowell.
Scott reached the final – which was won by Jules O’Dwyer and her dog Matisse – and the singer’s success was the things dreams are made of. But he admits, it wasn’t all roses.
Image: Calum performing with Take That at the King’s coronation. Pic: PA
“That was when I first started having panic attacks,” he says. “For me to suddenly start down that road was scary.
“There’s no handbook on how to deal with fame. That doesn’t exist, as far as I know.”
A notoriously tough business, Scott says the music scene is one where “people constantly want something from you”.
The death of One Direction star Liam Payne – who rose to fame on talent show X Factor – last year was a stark reminder of the pressure on those in the public eye.
Image: Liam Payne died last year. Pic: Reuters
Scott says Payne’s death could be the “wake-up call that the industry needs” to highlight “the pressure, the expectation (and) the workload” on young artists.
“You need that balance to be able to be creative, and the industry is where art meets consumerism,” he says.
“I think you’ve got to be careful that that line doesn’t start to impose on your soul and in your heart.”
‘A prisoner in your own body’
For Scott, his desire to perform in front of thousands has lived alongside his battle with the debilitating mental health condition, body dysmorphia.
“It’s an industry where people are not only listening to the music, but they’re looking at you and scrutinising you, and it’s difficult to put yourself out there – to be enjoyed and to entertain people – but also to be criticised,” he says.
Estimated to affect up to 2% of the adult population in the UK, according to the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation, sufferers spend hours worrying about perceived flaws in their appearance, which can severely impact work, social life and relationships.
Scott says: “For me, growing up, I had a few issues with my sexuality and my dad leaving when I was young and losing all my friends. A lot of reasons compounded down as to why I ended up with body dysmorphia.”
Image: Pic: Tom Cockram
At his worst, obsessively documenting his perceived flaws, Scott says: “For anybody who’s suffering with body dysmorphia, you feel a prisoner in your own body, and it’s awful.
“With social media, it’s difficult because every facet of every part of our life is documented on Instagram in the perfect way. And that’s just not how life works.
“People aren’t putting their worst parts on social media. Somebody wakes up at six in the morning, they’re beautiful and their hair’s done, but somebody set that camera up to record that moment. It’s not real.”
‘The favourite part of my job’
One thing that is real is Scott’s connection to his fans.
Image: Calum at this year’s Brit Awards. Pic: Reuters
“My favourite part of my job is going to a gig and performing the songs that have resonated with people in such different, vast ways, and watching it happen in real time,” he says.
“It’s like magic, you know? Like the stuff you used to watch – Paul Daniels on the TV, and my god, it just used to buzz you. It’s the same thing.”
With a new album and a 48-city world tour ahead of him, Scott’s story is an inspiring one.
A mental health advocate, his message of hope is one he hopes to share with his fans and beyond: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t give myself the opportunity to. It’s important to just stay headstrong, believe in yourself. Anything’s possible.”
Calum Scott’s third studio album, Avenoir, is out on 12 September, followed by his world tour, which kicks off on 12 October in Porto, Portugal.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Declaring a ‘Pulp Summer’ on the screen behind them, the band appeared on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage for another of the festival’s “surprise” performances.
A group of people mysteriously walked on to the stage in waterproof ponchos before the “secret” was revealed and the Pulp homage to fellow Saturday night performer Charli XCX’s Brat Summer appeared on screen.
Like Lewis Capaldi’s unannounced set on Friday, everyone at Glastonbury knew who to expect by the time Jarvis Cocker and co began at 6.15pm, thanks to the bookies’ odds, “secret” sources and whispers around the festival.
The Sheffield band were welcomed with a huge turnout at the festival’s biggest stage.
Image: Jarvis Cocker was welcomed with a huge turnout at the festival’s biggest stage. Pic: PA
In tribute to their headline performance in 1995, when they famously took over from The Stone Roses at short notice, Pulp started with Sorted For E’s And Whizz and then straight into Disco 2000 – two songs played live for the first time on this same stage 30 years ago.
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“It was the very, very first time they were played – you could say they were born in Glastonbury,” Cocker told the crowd.
From the Mercury Prize-winning Different Class, the album that propelled Pulp to topping the charts and platinum sales, and one of the most critically acclaimed records of the 1990s, the songs prompted a mass sing-along – and jump-along from an enthusiastic crowd who knew every word.
“My name’s Jarvis, this is Pulp,” Cocker announced, just in case anyone was in any doubt. “Sorry for people who were expecting Patchwork. Did you know that we were going to play?”
Image: Cocker mischievously asked crowds: ‘Did you know that we were going to play?’ Pic: PA
After their 1990s hits, the band launched into Spike Island, the lead single from More – their first album in 24 years, released earlier this month.
It was a set full of memorable moments – including the Red Arrows flying over – and Cocker picking up an acoustic guitar for the poignant Something Changed.
Do You Remember The First Time? And Babies also featured, before the band of course ended on their biggest hit – Common People.
Pulp’s appearance came after keyboard player Candida Doyle appeared to confirm the band would not perform at the festival in a BBC interview beforehand, despite much speculation that they would fill one of the unannounced slots.
Image: Pulp performed songs including Sorted For E’s And Whizz, Disco 2000 and Common People. Pic: PA
“We wanted to, just because it’s the 30th anniversary and that kind of thing, and they weren’t interested,” she said. “And then we were thinking maybe next year, and then they’re not doing it next year.”
Along with the headliners and the Sunday afternoon “legends slots”, unannounced sets from the likes of the Foo Fighters, The Killers, and Radiohead have become some of the most talked-about performances at Glastonbury in recent years.
As well as Capaldi and Pulp, acts including Lorde and Haim have also popped up as “secrets” this year.
Pulp have a history of surprises at the festival, having performed a secret set on the Park Stage in 2011 following their first hiatus.
Formed in 1978, they released three albums in the 1980s and early ’90s before finding mainstream success with 1994’s His And Hers.
Different Class came 18 months later in October 1995 and Pulp became huge, helped in no small part by their memorable performance at Glastonbury earlier in the year.
Thirty years later, they have entered the festival’s history books once again.