Fanboys Anonymous

After watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie the other day, I'm already excited to see a potential sequel down the line. Given the success of Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel, as well as Pokemon: Detective Pikachu—while they're far from Oscar-caliber films—I think the video game movie code is finally starting to be cracked and I would like this to continue.

Much like with Sonic, after walking away from the first movie, I immediately started thinking about sequel ideas. What should happen in a second and potentially third movie to round up a trilogy? What would I do if brought onto the writing team?

Welcome to another edition of FANBOYS FOLLOW-UP—a segment where I take a film or TV show and expand on where I'd like to see the story go from there.

I did a round of this for Sonic the Hedgehog. Some of those ideas for #2 and #3 were actually dead on, while others were nowhere near close to what they decided to do. So before we get any information on potential storylines for a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I'd like to toss out my pitches.

Note: I'd like to preface my pitches with the knowledge that I'm nowhere near as versed in Mario lore as I am other things that I apply to my Blueprint Project. Ask me about the most minor characters in Batman, Spider-Man and such, and I can bore you with great detail. But when it comes to Mario, most of my core fandom was established in the NES and SNES days. I played my fair share of Super Mario 64, Mario Kart, Mario Party and so on, but I from Super Mario Sunshine onward, I'm not as well-versed. As far as film and television media, I watched the cartoon with Captain Lou Albano back in the day as a kid (and even did a FanTracks of that, as well as the Morton Jankel Cut of Super Mario Bros) but I am by no means the foremost authoritarian expert on the franchise.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2

Clearly, based on the end credits scene, we need to focus on Yoshi. That was going to be the case no matter what. You can't go two of these films without Yoshi being a prominent character. C'mon.

But Yoshi in and of himself is not able to sustain a film. We obviously need more plot than "Hey! Yoshi!"

Our core cast has to return (ie, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad and Bowser; ideally with at least a cameo from Donkey Kong, but I wouldn't be opposed to him taking a back seat in favor of his own film). After all, we do need some time to focus on Yoshi, so DK could get in the way of that.

I also think we need to bring Daisy into the mix here. Let's bump up that female representation and give Luigi his girlfriend.

Yoshi's Island should be explored here, and may be the best location that is in danger of an attack. By who? Well, I think you could go in a number of directions, but in my ideal scenario, to keep it simpler, we keep Bowser the primary antagonist, but add two more to the mix.

Sequels sometimes work best if you keep everything the same from before, but just tweak it. Other times, you need to add more on top of it to freshen up the dynamic and up the ante. And I think the easiest way to do that is to introduce Wario and Waluigi.

Since the events of the first film, Mario and Luigi are super popular. Brooklyn loves them. The Mushroom Kingdom loves them. They're in a total opposite situation from the first movie. And all of this love and support has led to Wario and Waluigi becoming jealous and wanting revenge.

They come across the shrunken Bowser and decide to forge an alliance. When they let him out and hit him, he obviously regrows to his normal size and the trio are ready to take down The Super Mario Bros and friends.

We've already done the star, but I'm sure there are other McGuffins in Yoshi's Island we can get into for that element of the plot.

Obviously, at the end of the movie, all is well, and the heroes triumph. But I'd also set up a third film where things can get even more expansive.

Other things we need to see in this movie:

1. Chain Chomp
2. A bit where Luigi's in a haunted mansion and he does the little back-and-forth with a Boo, where he looks at it and it doesn't move, and when he turns his back, it starts coming after him
3. A Goomba gets squashed
4. Birdo
5. Thwomp
6. Buzzy Beetle
7. Hammer Bro / Boomerang Bro / Sledge Brother
   
8. Lakitu
9. Big Bertha 
10. Blargg
11. Chargin' Chuck
12. Wiggler
13. Reznor
14. Monty Mole
    
15. That damn Angry Sun that divebombs you, and the pyramid sand world vibe in general. Toss in Pokey and other characters like that.
16. Maybe Wart can cameo and some other characters like Mouser, even if it's a dream Mario is having (like the game itself)
17. Bowser's castle and ship in more detail
18. Maybe we can get some references to Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Dr. Mario and other extracurricular activities (pitch: Wario and Waluigi are complaining that they're getting endorsements EVERYWHERE these days, and Mario is even a doctor now? What the?! He doesn't even have a degree!)
    

At the end of this story, tease the audience with either Rosalina or Bowser Jr...or both.

Donkey Kong Country Movie

In the meantime from this movie, we should absolutely get a spin-off focusing entirely on the Donkey Kong franchise. Considering the popularity of the title, I'd say to just go with calling it Donkey Kong Country or Donkey Kong: The Movie or something along those lines.

Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad should cameo in this (or, at least Mario), but shouldn't be more than just in a scene or two. This is DK's time to shine.

I wasn't a fan of Fred Armisen's voice for Cranky Kong whatsoever. He's extremely talented, but I just didn't think that voice fit that character. Regardless, Cranky is an absolute must for a major supporting character.

Diddy Kong is the primary sidekick, though. Dixie Kong is a must, too. And if I remember correctly, Chunky Kong was there in the film, right? Or was that Kiddy Kong? I've never liked either of them, but I do think there's room for a lot of other Kong cameos. We also need to see more Funky Kong as maybe the Q to DK's James Bond (that's a sentence I didn't think I'd ever write) and maybe Candy Kong as the love interest, but not as a HUGE part of the story. I don't think fans would be outraged if she was kept to a damsel in distress or something. It's not like we have to carve out a big section of the movie to fit Tiny Kong or Lanky Kong. Who even likes them?

This plot is straightforward and very similar to Mario's first film, but without the heavy lifting of needing to explain the world as much. King K. Rool and his minions invade the island, screw up the banana supply, try to take over, and it is up to Donkey Kong and his misfit friends to save the day.

You need to start with King K. Rool and the Kremlings rather than go straight into the Tiki Tak Tribe or the villains from Tropical Freeze. Those can be potential sequels for a second and third film, if you aren't making your own creation.

Gauntlet outline this. Go through the first few games and write down every villain you come across; every unlockable; every side character and environment. Let's see Donkey Kong on Rambi at the very least, if not also Expresso and Enguarde and others. Those are my top three favorites, but Squawks would be easy to implement, Winky is up there and I think with a big animated world, you can at least show quick cameos of Rattly, Squitter, Ellie and so on.

You need the minecarts. That's basically your Mario Kart chase sequence of the film.

Dumb Drum and Gnawty and Necky and such would need to pop up as villains. They could get a good "scary scene" out of those Rockkroc guys.

Aquatic Ambience and other tracks would be amazing with a full orchestra performing a suite medley.

If you're feeling really ambitious, throw in a cameo to set up a Banjo-Kazooie spin-off, but that isn't necessary (especially not for this first film).

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 3

Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings would be too much to cram into the second film, and there wouldn't be enough time to explain how Bowser gets free from captivity and has Bowser Jr without a time jump, which should only happen between the second and third films.

I could see this going in one of two ways, or a possible merger if you can find a way to incorporate both stories in one. Frankly, I'm not well-versed enough in the source material to pull that off right now with my initial thoughts. I'd have to do more research. But I bet playing Super Mario Galaxy and a few other games one time would be sufficient.

The long and short of this is that we have our Mario/Peach, Luigi/Daisy, Toad/Yoshi (as in, comedic foils, not romantic interests) squad, and they can explore the galaxy. Rosalina can be involved as the plot-sparking character who explains all of what is going on and prompts them to go into outer space, where they face villains like Tatanga.

But I do think you need Bowser Jr. in there, and I'd argue the Koopalings should be in there, too. The same for Boom Boom, who doesn't get any love, and can be a sacrificial lamb.

From my perspective, those are the big villains you need to hit on for a three-film story: Bowser, Wario and Waluigi, Tatanga, and Bowser Jr and the Koopalings, with some cameos from smaller villains like Wart and obviously, the regular enemies you come across in the games. With a little more research and some production guidelines as far as which toys were selling the most, what test audiences had to say about the first film and what Nintendo's input would be (if they wanted to make a brand new character or something), I think it would be rather easy to map out these extra films.

And if you're listening, Illumination / Nintendo, and you want me to do that, you know how to reach me via the contact page and plenty other methods! 

Let's save talking about doing the Super Smash Bros film in Avengers style with setting up Legend of Zelda and Kirby movies and such for another post.

A few weeks back, Sonic the Hedgehog surprised most people by being a pretty decent film that also surpassed box office expectations. At this point, being both monetarily and critically well-received, a sequel is guaranteed, if not a third film, too.

Before anything is officially announced about those movies, what do I think should happen and what would I do if I were given the keys to the kingdom and creative control?

Welcome to the first edition of FANBOYS FOLLOW-UP—a segment where I take a film or TV show and expand on where I'd like to see the story go from there. I've wanted to do this many times over the years with things like Kick-Ass 3, Incredibles 3, dating all the way back to one of the first posts on this site with my Ghostbusters III idea. Now, it's officially kicking off with this, because...well...why not?

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

We already know we're getting Tails as the end of the last film showed the little guy. It was a necessity. To make a sequel and not include him would be insane.

The last film ended with Robotnik stranded off-world and Sonic comfortable in his new home in the attic of the Wachowski's. We can't completely ignore the relationship between Sonic and The Donut Lord, Tom, nor push Maddie out of the way or anything like that. They need to do something, and there should be something that gets in the way of Sonic's friendship with Tom. That's what sequels pretty much always do.

Here's my quick pitch, as we don't need to flesh out all the little details:

The government was lenient on everyone, but they're still keeping tabs. They notice that something is happening across the planet that seems extremely reminiscent of Sonic's powers. Banks and technological facilities are being robbed in a split second and there's nothing but a blue streak of energy that they catch on camera. Who else are they going to blame but him? Crazy Carl agrees.

Tom goes to bat for Sonic, that he wouldn't be responsible, but the evidence mounts. Meanwhile, there's been tension brewing because Tails has come from Mobius trying to track him down because things have gotten bad and they could use his help. Creatures from that world are being converted into robots that are taking over. It's definitely Robotnik's fault, as these Badniks need to be stopped.

Immediately, there's a great partnership between Sonic and Tails, which makes Tom jealous. He doesn't really know what those two are up to, which makes him suspicious that Sonic is being a rebellious teenager and actually causing these crimes. But hey, Tom's not Sonic's father, so that creates even more tension. Plus, Maddie is pressuring Tom to have a baby and Sonic feels like he's being cast aside.

Then, they get seemingly full-proof evidence that it's Sonic causing these crimes when video surveillance footage manages to capture a picture of him and it has his shape, size, etc.

Who is the real culprit, though? Well, of course, it's Robotnik. I mean, he's the bad guy and all. But in particular, it's Mecha Sonic (aka Metal Sonic—I know they're all supposed to be different, but they shouldn't be, just like how Mega Man and X should be the same robot with some advancements and not entirely different characters). He should appear in Mark I form (Silver Sonic) but eventually, the blue armor and everything in future tweaks is more than enough to fool everyone.

Mecha Sonic is extremely powerful and able to match Sonic's speed, if not surpass it. That's the biggest physical fight of the whole thing, but there are also Badniks and normal drones that Robotnik pilots. That gives Tails something to do (disable the tech that controls the Badniks) and Tom something to do (fight off the drones) in the final battle.

It ends with Sonic being exonerated, Maddie having her child, Tom and Sonic have reconciled, Sonic has a friend in Tails that is closer to his own kind, they can travel between worlds easier through whatever means Robotnik found his way back, and all is well again.

That is...of course, until the tease at the end. The Knuckles Clan or Echnida Tribe or whatever you want to call them is attacked by another variation of Mecha Sonic and consult their prophecy about how they'd inevitably deal with the blue menace. Their cave paintings or scripture or whatever make it seem like Sonic is destined to destroy them through the Chaos Emeralds, and they won't let that happen.

Bonus points for how this is the #2 film and a ton of things revolve around the concept of two. There are two Sonics (real and robot). Tails has two tails. There are two heroes now from the other world (Sonic and Tails) as well as two villains in this story (Robotnik and Mecha Sonic). A wedge between Sonic/Tails and Tom/Maddie that is eventually patched up with their kid. So on and so forth.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Triple Trouble

As said, this film revolves around the Chaos Emeralds. There's a flashback to when Sonic was a child and that whole attack from the first film that had the echidnas hunting him. Their prophecy isn't clarified yet, as they've interpreted it as basically "Sonic will bring the end of Mobius through the Chaos Emeralds." Remember how in the games, there are those hieroglyphics that play into this idea? I'm copying that.

Robotnik sent Mecha Sonic to frame him again, so they think this is happening now. He offers to help them kill Sonic if he allows them access to the Chaos Emeralds. Since he's proven himself an ally so far and he's a genius from another world, they trust him and his new sidekick, a little purple wolf-like guy named Nack the Weasel (aka Fang the Sniper).

The head of the tribe is Knuckles. You know him. I don't need to go into who he is, and you know where this is going, too.

Admittedly, I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with the Tom and Maddie portion of this story yet, but I didn't want to sleep on this article any longer. Maybe in time, I'll edit this section with an update. But I do know I want Sonic and Tails to be bros and for the baby Wachowski to be something they watch over and for the kid to be in danger at some point in the movie, as well as some kind of tie-in to Chao.

Then, Sonic and Knuckles basically plays out the way you'd expect it. Knuckles is naive enough to trust Robotnik and acts as a primary antagonist along with Nack, who is more of a pest for Tails to deal with. We've got our Badniks in some fashion and possibly Mecha Sonic is back, but just not as featured. I'd rather have an alternative to that, but I don't think it's smart to throw out Shadow or something and I can't think of another enemy worth putting in the mix.

Robotnik uses the Master Emerald and unlocks Perfect Chaos, which is the real prophecy meaning: Sonic is the one to help stop the destruction, not the one who brings it. Knuckles realizes that mistake and joins the team, giving us Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Tom against Robotnik, Nack, the standard drones and the big bad threat of Perfect Chaos.

Sonic has to go Super Sonic to defeat it. He obviously does, because this is a film for kids and not something dark and depressing that ends in the world's destruction or something. Now that Sonic has proven himself totally not the problem, he's more than welcome to hang out on Angel Island and all throughout Mobius and Earth however he pleases.

Unfortunately, there's no natural way for me to figure out how to cram in more characters like Rouge and Cream, but maybe...just maybe...somewhere in there, you could add Amy Rose. If not, and if these movies do well enough that you can make a fourth, have a plot point be that Amy Rose is Sonic's girlfriend and that changes the dynamics of the group. You can have Rouge/Knuckles and Cream/Tails as the other couples and really market that toward the girls in the audience, too. But hey, I'm sticking with Sonic 2 and 3 at this point, and it's better not to get too far ahead of the game...I mean, movie...I mean, game-inspired movie.

Ever since Ghostbusters II, people have been yearning for another sequel to round out the series in typical trilogy fashion. Over 20 years have passed and the rumors have been flying around more than ever that Ghostbusters III is finally coming our way. But with rumors that they've struggled to figure out a script beyond the concept of "passing the torch" and that multiple cast members might not be interested in returning, what could they possibly do to make this a success? In the spirit of fan fiction, this is my theory on what I would do if given the reigns of control.

The film would focus around the idea that the old, original Ghostbusters are indeed passing the torch. Seeing as how the previous two films have always used a subplot that they weren't exactly the most well-received and well-funded organization, that would apply here as well. At its core, Ray Stantz was always the driving force behind the group and this would continue. He's been trying to convince the others that the downtime is over with and they should look into restarting the group. Winston Zeddemore, the hard worker of yesteryear, is retired and likes it that way. Egon Spengler agrees that their days as cowboys are over with and is simply more interested in following up on the academic side of things. He feels that they're better served in that regard, particularly after the death of Peter Venkman. It just wouldn't be the same without the man who kept them all together.

Seeking to reignite their passion, Ray Stantz approaches Oscar Barrett, son of Dana Barrett from Ghostbusters II, with an offer to join them and become a Ghostbuster himself. The reason why is because over the course of the past 20+ years, Oscar (nicknamed Oz or Ozzy) was eventually told that Peter Venkman is his actual biological father. Oscar is very similar to Peter in terms of characterization (like father, like son). He is crude, cocky, antagonistic, and has just the right amount of charm to make people withstand him. Just like Peter, he comes off worse than he really is and is hiding a bigger heart than you'd assume. Oscar has no interest in joining Ray and the Ghostbusters, though. This is primarily because his relationship with Peter was very strained and he resents him for not fixing it before his death.

While Oscar might not be interested in joining up with the team, there are two people that do in fact want to be involved. One of them is a college student who has been studying under Egon for some time. He's a stereotypical nerd in pretty much every way and is very much Egon's successor already, being rather humorless and serious. Though this guy is more so supportive in following in Egon's footsteps instead of doing the physical side of things, he's nonetheless eager to be a part of the new squad.

Another person that wants to be involved, almost desperately, is quite the fanboy of the Ghostbusters. He's someone that has followed them for quite a while and thinks it would be cool to be a part of it. The problem is that he's a bumbling and inept idiot that seems to offer nothing (although in terms of storytelling, he's very much an anchor of comedic relief).

At the moment, I haven't quite figured out what the primary antagonist could be, other than the idea that it would revolve around two other characters. The first of which is a man who has some sort of political power and completely against the Ghostbusters. Ideally, this would be a returning Walter Peck (portrayed by William Atherton in Ghostbusters I). The other one of these two characters is his daughter. The backstory of this duo is that the daughter (hereby referred to as simply "Peck's Daughter") and Peck don't get along. Peck's dislike of the Ghostbusters has resulted in a stereotypical lashing out from Peck's Daughter in terms of personality. She's grown up as someone who is interested in witchcraft. There can even be a joke thrown in there that she was raised being unable to eat marshmallows because of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the first film.

As if it isn't obvious, the four new members of the team are Oscar, Peck's Daughter, the Inept Fool and Egon's Apprentice. Ray acts as the overseer of the transition between the former squad and the trainees. Egon naturally is the head of the scientific side of things. Winston plays the role of their physical trainer, teaching them how to use the equipment for tactical purposes. Their first test trial is to capture Slimer, who has been utilized over the years as their sort of pet.

Each character of this new squad is there to counteract the others. It's self-explanatory that Egon's Apprentice clashes with the Inept Fool because of their intelligence. Peck's Daughter turns out to be the absolute best in terms of physical trapping of the ghosts, which puts her at odds with the Inept Fool because of their difference in quality. It also puts her at odds with Egon's Apprentice because they're on opposite sides of their quality, with him being the scientific end and her being the physicality. Oscar clashes with the Inept Fool because of their disagreement on whether they'd like to be a part of the team. While Oscar is reluctant, the Inept Fool considers it blasphemy that Oscar isn't following in his father's footsteps. Oscar's antagonism to Egon's Apprentice is about dedication as well but more so about the idea that Egon's relationship with his apprentice is what Oscar would have liked for himself and Peter.

The biggest relationship between the squad, however, is the connection of Peck's Daughter with Oscar. They're very competitive towards one another but they're also very supportive because they can bond with one another over their father issues. That bond is also a romantic relationship. In fact, the main reason that Oscar is convinced to become a member of the squad is because of his lust for Peck's Daughter.

By the end of the film, some of the following things happen. The Inept Fool turns out to be rather useful, possibly as a means of funding the group monetarily (on top of being the heart of the new group). Louis Tully is able to defend the Ghostbusters as their lawyer (with the help of his wife and secretary, Janine) reducing their roles to a cameo. Peck's Daughter, with the help of Oscar, is able to tell Peck to go to hell, resolving many issues they both have for their fathers. This applies even more so to Oscar when it comes to a cameo of Peter Venkman's ghost who not only helps the Ghostbusters out, but also has a conversation with Oscar. They hash things out. Oscar admits that the main reason he was acting the way he was acting is because of him missing Peter and wishing he hadn't left him, as he loves him. Peter admits that he pushes people away and ultimately makes it hard for them in some ways. This happened with Dana, but they've always loved and forgiven each other no matter what. He lets Oscar know that Peck's Daughter and his relationship reminds him of his relationship with Dana. He also lets Egon, Winston and Ray know that they have this covered and his full support, along with the rest of the team.

The old school team is forced to suit up one last time to help the new school team with the paranormal threat, whatever it is. Peck's Daughter's knowledge of witchcraft proves to be particularly helpful and they're even aided by Peter and Slimer from the other side of things. When all things are said and done, they've defeated the evil, become a solid team, and gotten over their issues together. You can either leave this open-ended, that they'll continue being the new team or you can go ahead and do Ghostbusters IV afterward.

That being said, who you gonna call for help on this new film? My line's open if you like the outline above.