The actor known for his portrayal of The Punisher and Shane from The Walking Dead, Jon Bernthal, has opened up about which video game character he'd most like to play if he was ever given his pick of the litter. The character in question? None other than Nintendo's own Little Mac from the Punch-Out!! series. It's unclear if ever the opportunity would present itself, of course, but there have been major changes to the film industry that would prevent people from dismissing Bernthal's proposal.
Namely, video game adaptations have become a big part of the current film and television landscape in recent years. Detective Pikachu is one such example of a popular game series making the transition to the big screen, while ventures like Netflix's Castlevania have shown just how potent game content can be in an animated form. The long-awaited Halo televison show has even cast its Master Chief, so things are looking up for gaming properties in film. Even so, how did Bernthal's Little Mac proposal come about?
During an interview between the actor and Digital Trends, Bernthal was probed about which gaming character he'd like to portray. Based on his re-introduction to Little Mac through Punch-Out!! on the Nintendo Switch, the backstory of the petite boxer appeals to Bernthal for a few reasons. Who could blame him either, as that underdog rising through the ranks narrative could play out very well in an on-screen adaptation if Nintendo was ever interested.
“What I’ve been playing with the kids is Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. Little Mac, he’s really small, but that would be really cool I think — his rise up through the ranks.”
The conversation about gaming and acting seems to go hand-in-hand for Bernthal given that he is playing Cole Walker in the recently released Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint video game. Admittedly, the actor also referenced a Castlevania project as something he'd be interested in starring in during the interview. Really, he'd be a great fit in either, although Mike Tyson would likely be sitting out on a Punch-Out!! appearance given how upset he is that the series has continued on without him.
While a Punch-Out!! film seems a little farfetched at this point in time, the writers behind Detective Pikachu are interested in writing a Super Smash Bros film. Given that Little Mac is a playable character in the series, perhaps Bernthal could have his time to shine as the boxer there. We know we'd be first in line to see that on-screen adaptation.
Source: Digital Trends