Nintendo has officially announced a live-action Legend of Zelda film. Nintendo has translated the incredible success it's enjoyed in the video game space to the box office already, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie earning over $1 billion and standing tall as the second-highest grossing film of 2023 to date.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a massive success for Nintendo, and so many assumed that the Big N would look to adapt more of its franchises to film. A Zelda movie has topped many fans' lists, though there's been some question as to what shape the project would take. While some fans assumed that a Legend of Zelda movie would be animated like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's now been confirmed to be a live-action project.

Related

Nintendo's Growing Interest In Movies Could Kickstart Its Own Cinematic Universe

A Super Smash Bros. crossover sounds like a nice end goal, but Nintendo might want to avoid it if it wants to right by Mario, Link, and Co.

The Legend of Zelda movie will be produced by franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad with Wes Ball serving as director. In a somewhat shocking development, the Legend of Zelda movie will be made as a collaborative effort between Nintendo and Sony Pinctures Entertainment. Sony and Nintendo will both finance the project, with more than 50% of the budget financed by Nintendo, while Sony will handle theatrical distribution.

Shigeru Miyamoto played a key role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which ensured that the film was true to its video game roots and helped it become such a massive hit at the box office. Miyamoto being involved in the Zelda movie is certainly good news for the film. Avi Arad, meanwhile, has served as producer on some of Hollywood's biggest films, including many Marvel movies like the various Spider-Man films. Arad has also dipped his toe in video game films, having produced both the Uncharted movie and the upcoming Borderlands film.

Director Wes Ball is the most questionable piece of the puzzle, as his filmography isn't all that impressive from a quality standpoint. Ball directed The Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure, all of which earned mixed to negative reviews from critics despite being box office successes. However, that may have more to do with the source material than Ball's directing. Ball's next film is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, set to premiere in 2024, so one has to imagine that the Zelda movie is still years away, though Nintendo's announcement stopped short of providing release date specifics.

Nintendo teaming with Sony to create the Zelda film is perhaps the most shocking development out of all this, as the two are fierce rivals in the video game space. Nintendo and Sony have competed in the console market for decades, so it's surprising to see them team up for a movie. In any case, video game movies do seem to be the next big thing in terms of blockbuster films, and it will be exciting to see how the Zelda movie turns out and who is cast as Link and Zelda.