After years of hopes and months of rumors, Nintendo is finally making a live-action Legend of Zelda movie.
The news was shared with Nintendo investors today in an official post with few details. The film is produced by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad, chairman of Arad Productions and former founder and CEO of Marvel Studios.
Arad has been credited as a producer on numerous successful films over the years, most recently Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Into the Spider-Verse, No Way Home, Far From Home and Homecoming. He has also worked on upcoming films including Kraven the Hunter and the Borderlands film.
“The Maze Runner” will be directed by Wes Ball, Sony Pictures Entertainment will take care of the theatrical distribution and finance the film together with Nintendo. Meanwhile, Deadline Hollywood reports that Jurassic World author Derek Connolly is writing the script.
Although the press release notes that development is just beginning, Miyamoto stated in a Tweet/X post today that the project has been in the works in some form for “many years.”
The live-action Zelda movie is finally a reality
There were numerous rumors earlier this year that a live-action Legend of Zelda film was in the works, but word in Hyrule was that Universal was involved, or perhaps Illumination rather than Sony. The rumors were fueled by the Tears of the Kingdom developers themselves, who expressed that they were “interested” in making a Zelda movie following the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie earlier this year. But as Eiji Aonuma said at the time, “Unfortunately, it’s not just my interest in something that makes things happen.” A Netflix series has reportedly been canceled after it was leaked online.
I asked Avi-san to produce this film with me and we have now officially started development on the film, with Nintendo themselves being heavily involved in the production. It will take some time to complete, 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
However, unlike the Mario movie, the Zelda movie is live-action, meaning the cast of characters like Link, Zelda, Ganon, and more takes on a whole new dimension. While the Super Mario Bros. film was well received, it was criticized before its release over the decision to cast Chris Pratt as Mario. A Zelda film would probably stand up to similar fan scrutiny – even if Link remains a silent protagonist like in the games.
It’s unclear what Zelda story this film will cover
Fans have been speculating about the possibility of a Zelda movie for many years, with more than a few donning costumes to create their own trailers. Back in 2008, we created our own vision of a live-action Legend of Zelda. Back then it was just an April Fool’s joke, but now the prophecy seems to have come true.
It is unclear which Zelda story exactly will be covered in this film adaptation or whether a new Zelda story will be told instead. It’s possible that Nintendo chooses to explore the franchise’s most recent and successful entries by telling the story of Breath of the Wild, especially if doing so would open the door to a sequel in Tears of the Kingdom. One way or another, we’ll have to wait for updates from Nintendo to find out what to expect.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Do you have a story tip? Send it to [email protected].