After years of fervent hopes and months of swirling rumors, Nintendo has officially announced its venture into the world of live-action cinema with a film adaptation of the cherished Legend of Zelda franchise. This much-anticipated revelation comes directly from an official post directed at Nintendo investors, although it arrives with only a modicum of specific details.
The cinematic journey of The Legend of Zelda will be shepherded by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative genius behind the Zelda series and a prominent figure at Nintendo. Joining forces with Miyamoto is Avi Arad, the chairman of Arad Productions and the former founder and CEO of the celebrated Marvel Studios. Arad boasts a stellar track record as a producer on a string of blockbuster films, including recent hits like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Into the Spider-Verse, No Way Home, Far From Home, and Homecoming. Additionally, he’s actively involved in the production of highly anticipated projects such as Kraven the Hunter and the Borderlands movie.
Speculation regarding a live-action Legend of Zelda movie has been rife earlier this year, with whispers suggesting that Universal or even Illumination might be spearheading the project, instead of Sony. Fueling these rumors were the developers of Tears of the Kingdom, who openly expressed their interest in bringing the world of Zelda to the silver screen after witnessing the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie earlier in the year. However, Eiji Aonuma, the series producer, cautioned that mere interest doesn’t necessarily translate into action. Furthermore, an alleged Netflix series based on Zelda was reportedly shelved after it inadvertently leaked onto the internet.
Notably, unlike the Mario movie, which received acclaim, a live-action Zelda film raises intriguing questions about casting pivotal characters such as Link, Zelda, and Ganon, introducing a new dimension to their portrayal. The Super Mario Bros. Movie faced pre-release criticism over the casting of Chris Pratt as Mario, setting a precedent for heightened scrutiny by fervent Zelda fans, even if Link continues to remain the silent protagonist as in the games.
The specifics of which Zelda storyline will be adapted for the silver screen remain shrouded in mystery. It’s unclear whether the film will revisit a classic Zelda tale or forge a brand-new narrative. There’s a possibility that Nintendo may opt to explore the recent and critically acclaimed entries in the franchise by delving into the story of Breath of the Wild, potentially serving as a precursor to a sequel in Tears of the Kingdom. However, to unravel these enigmatic threads, we’ll need to await further updates and insights from Nintendo.
These are quotes by Shigeru Miyamoto himself of X (formerly Twitter):
“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.”- @Nintendo
“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.”- @Nintendo
They have also released a news release on their corporate website: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2023/231108.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=20231108&utm_campaign=release
