It was clear that the success of the Super Mario Bros. movie would have repercussions. The film broke all kinds of records and was well received by the general audience, even becoming the number one movie of the year in countries like Mexico. However, few imagined that the consequences would reach the other major Nintendo franchise: The Legend of Zelda.
While a Donkey Kong spin-off was announced prior to its release, it seems that Nintendo has been so pleased with Illumination’s work that they have entrusted the Universal studio with developing an animated film based on Shigeru Miyamoto’s original game.
The news comes from Collider journalist Jeff Sneider, who shared the following on The Hot Mic podcast: “I’ve been told that Universal is actually closing a ‘big deal’ with Nintendo for a Legend of Zelda movie. Zelda would be the next big Illumination-Nintendo franchise. It’s something we are all expecting, and I’ve been told that it’s happening.”
Adapting the Zelda epic
This exclusive news is still far from being a formal announcement, but there are certainly many possibilities for it to become a reality. After Nintendo’s disappointment in the 90s with the Mario adaptation, they have been hesitant to bring their video games to the big screen. However, thanks to Illumination’s successful work, their strategy may have changed.
In the case of Zelda, it is Nintendo’s most popular franchise right now. Games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have been widely purchased, played, and acclaimed by critics, making it the perfect time for the series to take a step further into transmedia.
However, it’s not clear whether Illumination is the perfect studio for this task. Known for films like Despicable Me and Minions, they will need to adapt their style significantly to capture the epic nature of Zelda. It’s undoubtedly a great challenge ahead of them, but they may once again surprise us.
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