Imagine for a moment a Super Mario Bros. movie that would have pitted Tom Hanks against Arnold Schwarzenegger. It could have happened.

Jeff Ryan's book Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America reveals some interesting backstory on the making of 1993's Super Mario Bros., which still ranks as the most notorious video game movie ever made. Game Informer has a lengthy breakdown of the book's recollection of the follies that befell the movie, which starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as the titular siblings. Some of the most interesting nuggets include the revelations of who the filmmakers had initially approached to star in the movie.

A longtime fan fave for the role of Mario was Danny DeVito, who was offered the chance to both direct and star in the movie, but ultimately passed. (The world needed Jack the Bear and Hoffa, dammit!)The studio is also said to have cast Tom Hanks as Mario, but dumped him in favor of Bob Hoskins. Hanks was then coming off a string of duds, including Bonfire of the Vanities, while Hoskins had starred in the blockbuster Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Hoskins later called Super Mario Bros. his biggest professional disappointment.And before Dennis Hopper landed the role of the evil King Koopa, the part had been turned down by both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Keaton.More on the tortured making of Super Mario Bros. can be found here