“The Legend of Zelda” series first debuted in 1986 and quickly became a key part of Nintendo’s portfolio of games. Over three decades after the franchise’s humble beginnings, the action games continue to enchant players. Just earlier this year, the company released “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” for the Nintendo Switch. The project, widely considered to be one of the best entries in the franchise, has sold nearly 20 million copies to date, making it one of the best-selling games on the platform.
With the franchise now more relevant than ever, and the enormous box office success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” it makes sense that Nintendo wants to take “The Legend of Zelda” to the big screen. What’s surprising is that the series is getting the live-action treatment as opposed to animation. Beyond that, it’s interesting how Nintendo is working with Sony Pictures Entertainment on this movie. After all, they worked with Universal Pictures to bring “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” to the big screen, and that company’s global set of theme parks, Universal Studios, is home to the massively popular Super Nintendo World.
Nintendo says that they’re financing over 50% of the movie, signaling that they’re set to have massive control over the film’s creative direction. Concrete information regarding key personnel and casting hasn’t been announced. It remains to be seen when the film enters production. For now, director Wes Ball is wrapping up production on “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” for 20th Century Studios.
