The filming of Super Mario Bros. nearly resulted in the death of Bob Hoskins on two occasions. The concept of a Super Mario Bros. movie seems innocent in theory. However, the making of the 1993 film based on the popular video game franchise was disastrous, and there were many moving parts that made its production a mess. Very early on it threw workplace safety right out the window, and accidents were abound during filming. They were so frequent that Mario himself, the late Bob Hoskins, escaped death not once but twice during shooting.

With a $48 million budget, Super Mario Bros. had a lot going for it. The cast, including John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper, was solid and the set design was intriguing. It was an ambitious project to say the least, but it quickly became one of Nintendo's poorer choices, and the chaos that ensued during filming negated its potential. Super Mario Bros. was plagued by constant rewrites and reshoots. Hoskins and Leguizamo, who played Luigi, were creatively frustrated, leading both of them to drink on set. The former often conflicted with the directors, Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel.

Related: Video Game Movies We're Still Waiting On

The lack of care from all parties inevitably led to plenty of dangerous situations. Some were so extreme that they almost resulted in Bob Hoskins's death in at least two different ways: electrocution and drowning. Speaking in a 1993 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hoskins recalled, "If you're going to survive this film, you're going to have to be very, very careful [...] I got stabbed four times. Electrocuted. Broke a finger. Nearly got drowned." Hoskins reportedly suffered the broken finger when a drunken John Leguizamo accelerated the Mario Brothers' van too quickly, causing the sliding door to close on Hoskins's hand. It was quite a scary production.

Luigi and Mario in the Super Mario Bros. movie

Speaking to The Guardian in 2007, Hoskins stated, "The worst thing I ever did? Super Mario Brothers. It was a f**kin' nightmare. The whole experience was a nightmare." Hoskins and Leguizamo would reportedly often show up drunk just to get through the day. This was not ideal given the tension on set and the less than stellar working conditions.

Super Mario Bros. is by no means a fondly remembered film, and contributed to the belief that video game movies rarely succeed. Hopefully the inevitable next attempt will prove more successful. In the years following its release, Hoskins worked to distance himself from it - and for good reason. The movie was put together by people who were largely inexperienced, and was a recipe for disaster. Fortunately Hoskins escaped with his life and continued to work for more than two decades, until his eventual death in 2014.

Next: Every Upcoming Video Game Movie