With the release of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” earlier this year, Nintendo announced that it was transforming into a larger entertainment company with gaming at its core. They seem to be following through on this with the announcement that they will be producing and partially financing a live-action “Legend of Zelda” movie.
Sony Pictures will distribute the movie worldwide.
Legendary videogame designer and creator of the franchise Shigeru Miyamoto will produce the upcoming film alongside producer Avi Arad. Wes Ball, who helmed the “Maze Runner” films and has “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” opening this summer, has been tapped to direct.
The film will be produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions Inc., and will be cofinanced by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Nintendo will finance 50% of the film.
The original “The Legend of Zelda” game was released in 1986; it was an immediate hit, with gamers enchanted by its rich world and characters. The latest game, “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” was released earlier this year and as of this writing has sold nearly 20 million copies.
Until “Barbie” was released, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was the No. 1 film of 2023, with $1.3 billion worth of tickets sold. It was a coproduction between Nintendo, Universal and Illumination and opened alongside the new Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood. Another version of the immersive theme park land will be opening in Universal’s Epic Universe in 2025. It first opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2021.
“By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible,” read the official statement.
Sony has also been making inroads in the videogame-to-movie market with its PlayStation Productions shingle, having developed and released “Uncharted” and “Gran Turismo,” with several more titles in the works.
