Nintendo has officially confirmed a live-action film for The Legend of Zelda series is in the works. The movie will be co-created with Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Zelda series creator Shigeru Miyamoto will oversee production alongside Avi Arad from Marvel Studios.
The film will be directed by Wes Ball (Maze Runner, Planet of the Apes), but Nintendo reiterated that the company itself will be “deeply involved in the movie production, with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment.”
In the press release, Nintendo explained its ongoing movement to bring its IPs into the film is to spread the influence of its entertainment brands “through different means apart from its dedicated game consoles.” The most recent example is none other than The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), which now sits proudly in the top 25 highest-grossing films of all time.
This information comes years after much speculation that there was to be some type of live-action Zelda project. In 2015, The Wall Street Journal claimed that a report from an anonymous source tipped the publication that Nintendo’s studio was working on a Zelda live-action TV series for Netflix. This was later corrected by the late Nintendo President of Japan Satoru Iwata, who spoke to Time Magazine and dismissed the claims as false. Still, the rumor resurfaced in 2018, when people thought Adi Shankar (Castlevania) would be attached to the series. Then in 2021, CollegeHumor was approached for a potential stop-motion series based on Star Fox, but Nintendo scrapped the project due to leaks.
No details regarding the cast or plot have been revealed, nor is there any release date. This makes sense considering the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes. Looks like we will have to wait for more updates.
The most recent core entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise is none other than Tears of the Kingdom, a strong contender for the 2023 Game of the Year.