Nintendo is officially working on a live-action movie for The Legend of Zelda franchise. The gaming giant has big plans for the big screen, helping fund the project directly in collaboration with Sony Pictures.
Hot on the heels of The Super Mario Bros. movie’s record-shattering box office success, Nintendo is doubling down on feature films. Months after shutting down rumors of an animated film in the same vein, a live-action Zelda flick is now officially in the works.
Confirmed by Nintendo on November 7, Shigeru Miyamoto himself addressed the gaming community to reveal the news. Working alongside veteran producer Avi Arad of Spider-Man and Uncharted fame, Nintendo is working on bringing Link’s grand adventure to new audiences.
Don’t hold your breath for an imminent release, however, as with this news, the project is only just “starting development,” an official blog post soon followed up.
It has also been revealed that director Wes Ball, known for the Maze Runner, will helm the project as director.
I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and 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. [2]https://t.co/2H9lzzS5Pv
— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) November 7, 2023
For fans of the beloved Nintendo franchise, this is major news. After all, gamers have been wondering when and if The Legend of Zelda would get some sort of adaptation other than the 1989 animation.
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As expected, this confirmation has already kickstarted online discourse in regards to casting for the project as well as how Nintendo and Sony would be able to adapt the game into a film. After all, Link is a silent protagonist and has been for over 30 years.
In terms of casting, fans are already throwing names such as Saoirse Ronan and Hunter Schafer into the mix to play Princess Zelda, who will likely have a large role to play in the movie.
heard they were making a live-action legend of zelda movie pic.twitter.com/Vu6DfDeZJ6
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) November 7, 2023
However, it is yet to be revealed what the narrative of the Zelda adaptation will look like. While the characters Link and Zelda have been around for decades, almost each game in the franchise includes different variations of them. Therefore, this adaptation could tell a completely new narrative or focus on a specific game in the franchise.
With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom a contender for GOTY 2023, this announcement is also coming off the back of another successful entry in the franchise.
For all the latest The Legend of Zelda news and updates, be sure to check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.