Nintendo is working on the production of a live-action film based on the popular video game series The Legend of Zelda. The Japanese company has announced the news through a statement detailing that the game’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, and the film producer and founder of Marvel Studios, Avi Arad, will be the producers of the film.
The statement also details that the director of the film will be the American Wes Ball, who has signed the Maze Runner trilogy of films (2014-2018) and is currently working on the return of the Planet of the Planet film franchise. the Apes.
The message published by Nintendo is very brief, but it also specifies that the big screen adaptation of the adventures of the hero Link and Princess Zelda will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment, although the former will cover more than 50% of the production. It is striking that Sony – Nintendo’s historical rival in the video game sector – is going to be the company in charge of distributing the film.
Coinciding with the announcement of this new film project, which comes after the great success of Super Mario Bros.: The Movie this year, Miyamoto himself made a statement on Twitter. “I have been working on the live-action The Legend of Zelda film for many years with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many highly successful films,” said the Japanese creative.
“I asked Avi-san to produce this film with me and now we have officially begun development on the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time to complete, but I hope you are looking forward to seeing it,” Miyamoto added.
In addition to producing many of Marvel’s superhero films, Avi Arad also has experience bringing video games to the big screen. This is the case of the adaptation of Uncharted, one of the great PlayStation franchises that hit theaters in early 2022.
The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s most iconic video games. Originally published in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, this adventure title set in the fantasy kingdom of Hyrule has become one of the great franchises in the video game world with its successive and successful continuations.
The latest installment of this franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, was published last May for the Nintendo Switch console and has since sold almost 20 million units. La Vanguardia had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with Hidemaro Fujibayashi and Eijio Aonuma, its top managers.