Super Mario Bros. gets dark real-world makeover in "The Four Players" YouTube series

Nintendo is known for its family-friendly leaning, and the characters of Super Mario Bros. are cute enough to make us forget they inhabit a world filled with carnivorous plants. This isn't the case in an alternative-esque series by screenwriter Evan Daugherty, who wrote and directed four short movies in a miniseries called "The Four Players." In Daugherty's world, we see our childhood nostalgia from an entirely too adult reality, complete with grungy sets and dark personal stories.

There are four films in total, each of them uploaded to YouTube for all to enjoy. "The Fixer" focuses on Mario's story, while Luigi is personified as a recovering addict in his own story, "The Addict" (featured below). Peach ("The Star") serenades with a song while clips of her unfortunate torment in the castle is showcased next in the series, followed by "The Solider", featuring Toad.

Each short film has its own Easter eggs, so look closely to see what you can spot. Given some of Daugherty's past and upcoming work, the nature of the videos are no surprise. The writer penned Snow White and the Huntsman, and is working on the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, as well as G.I. Joe 3. Whether we'll be seeing more of these shorts in the future isn't know at the moment.

Said Daugherty in a statement: "Making these short films gave me a chance to really 'do my own thing,' while having a little fun treating one of my favorite video game properties with a darker vibe. I had been kicking around the idea for years before I was even working in the industry, so to finally be able to share these films with fans on Polaris is a very exciting thing."

SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter