Nintendo is finally making a película live-action de The Legend of Zelda after years of hopes and months of rumors.
The news was shared today on an official publication for Nintendo investors, with few details. The movie is being produced by Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo and Avi Arad, president of Arad Productions and former founder and CEO of Marvel Studios.
Arad has been credited as producer of numerous successful films over the years, most recent ones include 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 movie.
The director of The Maze Runner Wes Ball, will direct, and Sony Pictures Entertainment will handle theatrical distribution in addition to co-financing the film with Nintendo.
Although the press release indicates that the development is just beginning, in a Twitter/X post today, Miyamoto indicated that the project has been in the works in some form for many years.
The Live-Action Zelda Movie is Finally a Reality
At the beginning of this year, rumors abounded that a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie was in the works, but word spread on Hyrule Street that Universal was involved, or maybe Illumination, instead of Sony. The rumors were fueled by the developers of Tears of the Kingdom themselves, who expressed that they were “interested” in making a Zelda movie after the success of Super Mario Bros: The Movie earlier this year. However, as Eiji Aonuma said at the time, “Unfortunately, it’s not just that I am interested in something, what makes things happen”. According to reports, a Netflix series was canceled after leaking on the Internet.
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.
However, unlike the Mario movie, the Zelda movie is live-action, which means that the cast of characters like Link, Zelda, Ganon, and others will take on a whole new dimension. The Super Mario Bros. movie, although well received, suffered criticism prior to the premiere regarding the decision to cast Chris Pratt as Mario. A Zelda movie would presumably come under similar scrutiny from fans, even if Link remains a silent protagonist like in the games.
Exploring the Unknown of Zelda’s Story
Fans have speculated about the possibility of a Zelda movie for many years, and more than a few have donned costumes to create their own trailers. Back in 2008 IGN created its own vision of a live-action The Legend of Zelda. Back then it was just an April Fool’s joke, but now the prophecy has apparently been fulfilled.
It is not clear exactly what Zelda story will be explored in this film adaptation, or if a new Zelda story will be told instead. It is possible that Nintendo will choose to explore the most recent and successful entries in the franchise by telling the story of Breath of the Wild, especially if it would open the door to a sequel to Tears of the Kingdom. One way or another, we will have to wait for Nintendo updates to know what awaits us.