Nintendo has announced that a live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda is in the works.
Wes Ball, director of The Maze Runner trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is set to helm the film. It will be co-produced by Legend of Zelda co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto and former chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment Avi Arad, whose credits include every live-action Spider-Man movie. Nintendo will co-finance more than 50% of the movie with Sony Pictures Entertainment, which will handle theatrical distribution.
“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,” Miyamoto wrote in a statement on social media. “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.”
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The Legend of Zelda film follows the massive success of The Super Marios Bros. Movie, which has raked in more than $1 billion worldwide on its way to becoming the highest-grossing video game movie adaptation.
The first Legend of Zelda video game was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. The most recent title, Tears of the Kingdom, arrived this past May and moved more than 10 million copies in its first three days of release. With a total of 20 mainline entries in The Legend of Zelda franchise, there’s plenty of material to work with. Stay tuned for more details.
