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But “it will take time until its completion”.
Still doubtless beaming from the runaway success of this year’s Super Mario Bros. movie, Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie is in the works.
Details are sparse at present, but Miyamoto, announcing the news on Nintendo Japan’s Twitter/X account, said the project has already been in development for “many years now”. As per an accompanying press release, Miyamoto will produce the movie – which is being co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment (Sony will also handle worldwide theatrical distribution) – with Avi Arad, responsible for “many hit films”, also producing.
Arad’s films, if you’re wondering, are primarily (but not exclusively) within the superhero genre, ranging from this year’s acclaimed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and its celebrated 2018 predecessor, to 2022’s Tom-Holland-starring Uncharted adaptation, as well as the likes of Venom, Morbius, the live-action Ghost in the Shell, and next year’s Borderlands movie.
Nintendo’s live-action Zelda adaptation will be helmed by Wes Ball – who directed the three Maze Runner films and next year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – but don’t expect to see it in cinemas any time soon. “It will take time until its completion,” Miyamoto explained in his announcement, “but I hope you look forward to seeing it.”
(Minor article update not in Nintendo’s original press release: Deadline reports Derek Connolly – whose screenplay contributions include Jurassic World, Detective Pikachu, and Kong: Skull Island – will be penning the Zelda adaptation.)
“By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment,” Nintendo added, “[the company] will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible.”
News of another big Nintendo property getting the film treatment follows the hugely successful release of this year’s animated Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has currently grossed over $1.3bn USD worldwide. It was also the highest-grossing film of 2023 for a considerable stretch of the year, until it was surpassed by Barbie in September.
