As video game adaptations have become more common and more successful, Jack Black has made something of a name for himself in the genre. First, he starred in the new Jumanji movies, which weren’t based on games, but were inspired by them. Now he’s Bowser in the Super Mario Bros. Movie, and very soon he’ll be Claptrap when the Borderlands release date arrives later this summer.
Borderlands fans are certainly looking forward to seeing how the upcoming video game movie is, and Jack Black told us that he’s very excited to see it come out as well. The actor admits he’s been “en fuego” of late with the video game movie roles. However, there’s one thing that nobody should forget: he’s Bowser.
Jack Black’s rendition of “Peaches” alone may have solidified the actor as the Bowser for a generation of Mario fans. The song is so iconic that it was included in Universal Orlando Resort’s new nighttime show dedicated to the great music in movie history. “Peaches” resides alongside the Jurassic Park theme, the Jaws theme and E.T., and even some music not written by John Williams.
Claptrap is another big voice role that is different enough from Bowser that many might not even realize Jack Black is the voice of both. Claptrap is a sarcastic motormouth who, in most Borderlands games is little more than a guide and occasional quest-giver, but in the new movie, the little robot will go on the quest. Black is in the Borderlands cast alongside the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, and Cate Blanchett.
A second Super Mario Bros. movie release date has already been set for 2026. While a return for Black as Bowser has not been confirmed, it seems to be all but a given. If I were to guess, I’d not only assume he’ll be back, but that the script will give him another reason to sing. He was captured with his piano, after all.
Considering Jack Black also sang in his last voice role (sort of) in his return as Po in Kung Fu Panda 4 (his band Tenacious D covered Brittney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” over the closing credits), one has to wonder if Borderlands has found some excuse for Jack Black to sing. The character isn’t exactly known for that, but then again, neither was Bowser.
Borderlands looks like a lot of fun, even if the big reason for that may be the fact that it looks to be borrowing heavily from Guardians of the Galaxy. The game is a successful franchise with multiple entries, and if the movie is a success, we can guess that Jack Black will continue to dominate video game movies with multiple successful franchises.