The Legend of Zelda is in between big releases right now, but it's not resting on its laurels. 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom’s hundred or more hours of adventures have yet to be exhausted by many fans, and the confirmation of a Nintendo Switch successor suggests that thoughts are being paid to the next Legend of Zelda title as well. Rumors have already begun circulating about the Switch Zelda games potentially getting improved releases on the new console to show off its power, and there's no telling when a smaller Zelda side game could show up.

All of that holds a lot of promise, but the Zelda franchise does have one clearly defined milestone right now, even if it's one it isn't expected to reach for a couple of years. The Legend of Zelda will be adapted to film like the wildly successful Super Mario Bros. Movie before it, this time taking a live-action approach instead of pure CGI. Directed by Wes Ball, written by Derek Connolly, and produced by both Avi Arad and Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto, this project has a lot of potential and might be more than just a spin-off of the main franchise.

A collage of Legend of Zelda Games the upcoming movie could adapt: Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask
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The Legend of Zelda: 6 Games The Live Action Movie Could Adapt

With the announcement of a live action Legend of Zelda movie stirring up fans, it's time to discuss what games could be adapted into a film.

The Legend of Zelda Film Is Huge News

Currently, not much is known about The Legend of Zelda's untitled movie, and there's a decent chance that many details haven't been finalized internally yet. Still, Nintendo dropping this news out of the blue was a big deal, as it meant that the Japanese company had seen fit to invest in film adaptations of its beloved franchises again for the first time since the '90s.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the clear cause of this, enjoying success far beyond what even its creators likely expected, and hastening the creation of more sequels and similar projects in the process.

The Zelda Film’s Creators Are Taking It Seriously

That means the Zelda movie is being approached as a huge deal right from the get-go, and knowing Nintendo, that means the game company is going to be heavily involved in every step of its production. Super Mario Bros. was already noted as being so successful because it was as authentically Mario as it could be, and early statements about the Zelda movie imply it's going in the same direction. Comparisons to Ghibli and an emphasis on portraying a serious Zelda adventure point towards the Zelda film striving for a unique identity, albeit one that could just as easily exist in its source material.

The Legend of Zelda Movie Could Feed Back Into The Games

It's this aspect of the Zelda movie that’s most relevant to the Zelda games, and there couldn't be a better time for Nintendo alumni Shigeru Miyamoto to hammer it out. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom marked one of the rare direct sequels in The Legend of Zelda, but its creators have since stated that they have done all they can with that rendition of Hyrule. The next Legend of Zelda title will be something new, and while that doesn't mean it will be a movie tie-in or completely abandon TotK’s open-world formula, it does mean it could have elements of both.

How The Zelda Film Could Affect Zelda’s Games

The Legend of Zelda movie could end up signaling what tone the Zelda franchise holds going forward. At least, it could show what tone Nintendo wants it to have, and the film's success could lead to its influence creeping back into the games. Unless Nintendo has a game adapting The Super Mario Bros. Movie in the works, there's no hard evidence for this, but things like the film’s new art style and Mario's voice do have parallels in the recent Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Those similarities showing up in the next Zelda game could prove that The Legend of Zelda’s film is a bigger deal than it looks.