Nintendo has just announced that a live-action movie adaptation of the game series "The Legend of Zelda" is starting production. Read on to learn who will be involved in the production and more.
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Live-Action Legend of Zelda Film In The Works
Shigeru Miyamoto Confirms That Production Has Started
Shigeru Miyamoto, a Representative Director and Fellow of Nintendo, announced on the official X (formerly Twitter) account that a live-action movie adaptation of the iconic video game franchise "The Legend of Zelda" has started development. Miyamoto named Avi Arad as a co-producer, and mentioned that they have been in talks for years for the "The Legend of Zelda" movie. The film will be co-financed by both Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., where over 50% of financial backing will be coming from Nintendo.
"I have been working on the live-action film of "The Legend of Zelda" for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films. 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."
The Zelda franchise is coming off from a widely popular and successful game launch in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom(TotK)" back in May 2023. "Tears of the Kingdom" has recently been reported to have hit 19.5 million units sold, as reported by the official Nintendo Financial Sales Data, where TotK has claimed the 9th best selling Nintendo title of all time in under 6 months.
The Legend of Zelda Movie Director, Producer, and Screenwriter
Avi Arad, the person named by Miyamoto, is a producer and former Marvel CEO, who now heads his own production company A2 Productions (formerly known as Arad Productions and Avi Arad and Associates.) Over the decades, he has produced numerous pre-MCU projects with varying degrees of success. He had a hand in producing the poorly-received "Morbius" movie. However, most recently, he was involved in the critically-acclaimed "Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse" movie.
Wes Ball has been announced as the director by Nintendo in their official press release. Ball is a director, graphics artist, and visual effects artist most known for directing the "Maze Runner" movie series. He is also the director of the upcoming "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" film.
There has been no official confirmation from the side of Nintendo for the screenwriter, but as reported by Deadline and other news outlets, Derek Connolly is rumored to be writing the screenplay. His past works includes the Jurassic World trilogy starring Chris Pratt (who starred as the voice of Mario in Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. movie). Most notably, Connolly was a screenwriter for the highly-debated "Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker" film.
Sources:
Nintendo X – formerly Twitter – Announcement
Nintendo Official Press Release
Nintendo Financial Data
Deadline Zelda News Article
