Evan Daugherty - P 2013
Divergent scribe Evan Daugherty and online multichannel network Maker Studios have teamed up for a new spin on the Super Mario Bros.
The Four Players, a series of four short films written and directed by Daugherty, is being released on Polaris, Maker’s gaming and geek culture YouTube hub. Each short centers on a reimagined version of a character from Nintendo’s popular Super Mario Bros. universe. The short films will feature “a grounded, dark and grittier” take on the characters, similar in vein to the Daugherty-penned film Snow White and the Huntsman. For example, The Addict shows a skinny, mustachioed “Lou” speaking at a Narcotics Anonymous-type meeting, growing mysterious flowers in a basement lab and receiving a text from “Bro” that reads: “SHE NEEDS US.”
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The first two films — The Fixer, focused on Mario, and Luigi-centered The Addict — debut on the channel Thursday. The Star, about Princess Peach, and The Soldier, spotlighting Toad, will hit Polaris on Friday.
“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,” said Daugherty in a statement. “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.”
“Polaris’ community of savvy, gaming creator fans is the perfect audience for The Four Players,” said Dar Nothaft, vp and general manager of Maker’s Polaris, in a statement. “Not only is Evan’s unique take on these four iconic video game characters visually amazing, there are tons of Easter eggs that reward you every time you re-watch these imaginative videos.”
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Following Snow White and the Huntsman, Daugherty has a slew of projects in various stages: 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot starring Megan Fox, the adaptation for the upcoming Shailene Woodley-led Divergent, 2015’s G.I. Joe 3 and ABC’s limited series Esmeralda. He is repped by UTA and Benderspink.
Maker is YouTube’s largest multichannel network, with more than 4.5 billion monthly video views and approximately 340 million subscribers. It is home to the most subscribed YouTube personality, PewDiePie. Polaris draws more than 1 billion views a month across more than 500 channels.
Watch The Fixer below.
Watch The Addict below.
Watch The Star below.
Watch The Soldier below.
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com; Rebecca.Sun@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube; @therebeccasun
