Ever since the Super Mario Bros Movie launched on the 5th of April, fans wondered what other franchises would be getting the film adaptation treatment. After all, Nintendo has a host of amazing franchises to adapt to film, including such classics as the Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pikmin and Star Fox, all of which could make interesting movies or TV shows.
So, could they see the same treatment? Could a Super Smash Bros type series happen after that, sorta like the MCU or other big shared universes?
Well as it turns out, the answer is very much yes! Why? Because as Nintendo announced on Twitter yesterday, a live action Legend of Zelda adaptation is in production right now. Here’s the tweet about it with more information:
This is Miyamoto. 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. [1]
— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) November 7, 2023
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. [2]https://t.co/2H9lzzS5Pv
— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) November 7, 2023
As you can see, the film is being produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions Inc, with Wes Ball in the director’s seat. Meanwhile, the funding is being provided by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc, who will be distributing the film worldwide.
And that’s quite the pedigree. Indeed, Avi Arad and his company Arad Productions previously worked on titles like the live action Spider-Man movies, various Marvel productions like Iron Man and Venom, and the award-winning animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, while Wes Ball has directed the Maze Runner films and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
So, the folks involved with this production definitely have a history in the industry, especially if rumours of Derek Connolly writing the script are to be believed (he worked on productions like Jurassic World, the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the Detective Pikachu film).
But is this all the right choice? Is the Legend of Zelda something that’ll adapt well to live action?
Honestly, we’d say the jury is out there. On the one hand, it’s definitely got all the ingredients for a great live action fantasy film, and a properly done adaption could get us something akin to the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter or Narnia movies in terms of scope. It’s a series that rides on epic stories about wars between the forces of good and evil, and it’s one which could definitely do well commercially based on that.
Yet at the same time, the very format of the series makes us question if live action is really the best choice here. After all, the vast majority of elements in a Zelda film are going to have to be CGI anyway, since the enemy designs, item effects, magical powers and most settings involved don’t really lend themselves to practical effects. So why not just make it animated at that point? Is having Link, Zelda, Ganondorf and the Hylian/Sheikah/Gerudo NPCs played by real actors really enough to justify making the film in live action?
Add this to the production company having already worked on some of the most critically and commercially well received animated films of all time, and you do have to wonder why Zelda isn’t getting that sort of treatment instead. A Zelda film in the style of one of the Spider-Verse ones would be a masterpiece!
Regardless, a live action Legend of Zelda movie is in production, and Nintendo is helping make it. We’re not sure when it’ll be released or when more information will be posted about it online, but we’re sure that more interesting news about it is on the way anyway.
So, what do you think? Are you excited for this upcoming film? Would The Legend of Zelda work better in animated or live action form?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or on our Discord server today!
Source:
Development of a Live-Action Film of The Legend of Zelda to Start (Nintendo PR)