The success of Super Mario Bros. The Movie was not a coincidence, and Nintendo knows that this has to be the path to follow to succeed in an industry that was unfamiliar to them until recently.
The Japanese company has confirmed that they are working on a live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. The movie will be directed by Wes Ball, known for the Maze Runner trilogy and the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes film.
The creator of Zelda himself, Shigeru Miyamoto, will serve as a producer, just as he did in this year’s animated Super Mario Bros. movie. He will be producing alongside Avi Arad.
“I’m Miyamoto. I’ve been working for many years on the live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda with Avi Arad, who has produced many highly successful movies,” Miyamoto said in a statement posted on Twitter last night.
However, we might have to wait a little while longer to see the movie; Miyamoto mentioned, “It will take some time until it’s finished, but I hope you all look forward to it.”
Although there aren’t many details about the movie itself, Nintendo states that it will be co-financed by both Nintendo and Sony (rivals in the video game industry, allies in the film industry). Nintendo will cover more than 50% of the cost.
Nintendo aims to be an entertainment company, not just a video game company
The announcement comes at a crucial time for Nintendo, as the company has made its ambitions clear to become a broader entertainment company. This includes not only the Super Mario movie but also a line of attractions for theme parks.
“By producing visual content of Nintendo IP on its own, Nintendo is creating new opportunities for people around the world to access the entertainment world Nintendo has built, through various means other than its dedicated gaming consoles,” the company stated in a release about the Zelda movie.
“By fully engaging in the production of the movie with the goal of putting smiles on the faces of everyone through entertainment, Nintendo will continue to strive to produce unique entertainment and bring it to as many people as possible.”
It was previously rumored that Nintendo was working on a live-action Zelda series for Netflix, although that project never came to fruition.
