Ironically, they would later be brought back as the final writing team.Ĭlement and la Frenais really hit their stride in this second draft that fully realizes their vision of a more mature, satirical, and action-packed adventure into a parallel world of humanoid dinosaurs. With the studio pressing to get the film into production as quickly as possible, Bennett and Runté were dismissed before they could revise further. The middle-act features a Mario Golf-inspired desert segment in which Koopa systematically purges his political rivals. The dinosaur world likewise feels just as real with its mishmash of world architecture and fashion inspired by both reptilian aesthetic and clever game references. This proved a smart move as the new first act really takes the time and care to establish genuine characters. The script would soon after be rewritten to feature a more family-friendly tone and completely new characterizations. However, once the two writers discovered that Bob Hoskins was being sought for the role they realized they needed to rewrite the character older and more likable.
Their initial opening saw Mario as sleazier and more confident like Bill Murray as Peter Venkman. Once hired, Bennett and Runté would expand their pitch with inspiration from the genre-aware sensibilities of Ghostbusters. The concept of humanoid dinosaurs is essentially only retrofitted onto the prior fantasy narrative established by Parker and Jennewein. The pitch is still firmly within the fantastical: Mario and Luigi are prophesized saviors, a magical talking book aids them on their quest, and Koopa resides within a traditional stone-and-dungeon castle. They also looked to develop Daisy into a more proactive character and to expand Koopa’s plot so it would endanger both worlds.
This pitch by budding writers Parker Bennett and Terry Runté ( Mystery Date, The Princess and the Cobbler) represents the early transition from a fantasy-oriented development of the Mushroom Kingdom milieu to the more grounded and satirical vision of Morton and Jankel.īennett and Runté felt the fantasy screenplay was never “funny, scary or outlandish enough” and so sought to focus more on Mario and Luigi’s relationship with each other and their late father. Only husband-and-wife directing team Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel ( Max Headroom, D.O.A.) agreed to take on the project-so long as they could renew development.ĭownload: 9 Pages | Pitch Sheets | Script Notes
Harold Ramis was approached, but he declined. The production then spent nearly a year searching for a replacement director.
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Greg Beeman ( License to Drive) was attached to direct, but the failure of his 1992 film Mom and Dad Save the World led to his dismissal. This screenplay laid the groundwork for how the characters were used by later writers: Mario is the older, reluctant hero while Luigi is the young dreamer that gets the girl.Īs much as $10 million was spent developing the fantasy screenplay.
Parker and Jennewein envisioned their story as a comedic take on fairytale themes in the same vein as The Princess Bride and the later Shrek series.īrothers Mario and Luigi pursue Princess Hildy into a hidden world reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland - complete with checkered brick road, tribes of mushroom people, and a King Koopa described as an anthropomorphic dragon. Parker and Jim Jennewein ( The Flintstones, Richie Rich) gives us the fullest look at what the film could have been like if it were a more direct, fantastical adaptation.