It’s official: Nintendo is developing a live-action movie based on its iconic Legend of Zelda video game series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this move came about as a result of the massive success of Nintendo’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie earlier this year, which racked up more than $1.3 billion at the global box office. There are rupees to be had, and if Nintendo has to smash all the pots in Hyrule to get them, they’re gonna do it!
The Legend of Zelda movie is being produced by Nintendo and Avi Arad’s production company Arad Productions, Inc. Sony Pictures Entertainment is co-financing and will also handle distribution. Attached to direct the feature is Wes Ball, director of the Maze Runner movies and the upcoming Planet of the Apes sequel Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
While the announcement for this Zelda movie may be breaking news, Nintendo representative director Shigeru Miyamoto — the guy who created both the Zelda and Mario series back in the ’80s — told fans on the site formerly known as Twitter that the live-action movie has been in the works “for many years now.”
"We have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it."
What will The Legend of Zelda movie be like?!
The Legend of Zelda is a series which needs no introduction. Nintendo has been making these games since 1986, and by this point there are more than 20 entries in the series. They almost always revolve around a young man named Link who has to save the Kingdom of Hyrule from an evil entity named Ganondorf and rescue the Princess Zelda from peril. It’s a classic sort of high fantasy story, but Nintendo has been reimagining it for so long and in such fun ways that it’s kept people hooked for decades. The latest two entries, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, were widely acclaimed megahits.
All this is to say, if Nintendo can pull off a good Zelda movie, the fans will turn out in droves. This won’t be the first attempt at bring Legend of Zelda to the big or small screen; a now-abandoned television series was in development back in 2015, and there was also a 1989 American animated series that is perhaps best left forgotten. There are some interesting challenges to adapting Zelda, such as the fact that Link is a silent protagonist in the games who never actually utters a line of dialogue. I’m more than a little curious to see how Nintendo will handle it!
You can bet we’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for updates on The Legend of Zelda movie. Until then, let’s all fire up Tears of the Kingdom again in celebration!
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