The Legend of Zelda gets the movie treatment.
Nintendo announced Tuesday that it is partnering with Avi Arad’s Arad Productions to develop a feature film based on the classic video game franchise, first introduced in 1986.
Wes Ball — director of the film Maze runner trilogy and upcoming ones Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — signed the management of the project. The film will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“By producing the visual content of Nintendo IP itself, Nintendo is creating new opportunities to give people access to the world of entertainment that Nintendo has built, in ways beyond its dedicated game consoles,” Nintendo said in a press release announcing the film.
Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s legendary video game designer and company representative at the company, revealed in a post on x (formerly known as Twitter) which is Zelda the project has been in the works for some time.
“I am working on a feature film about The Legend of Zelda for many years with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films,” wrote Miyamoto, who will produce the film.
‘The Last of Us’ and other video games that have been adapted for TV and film
“We have now officially started development on the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time to complete, but I hope you can’t wait to see it,” he continued.
The Legend of Zelda the film adaptation follows Sony’s blockbuster hit Movie Super Mario Bros — starring Chris Pratt, Charlie Day and Anya Taylor-Joy — based on another legacy Nintendo franchise. In June, the film surpassed Disney’s Frozen becoming the second highest-grossing animated film of all time with $1.283 billion in revenue, only slightly behind Frozen II.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ brings Marija back in 2D! Watch the trailer for the new Nintendo Switch game
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Created by Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda The action-adventure game franchise focuses on the elf warrior Link and Princess Zelda as they fight to save their kingdom and defeat Ganon, an evil warlord turned demon king.
Since the original game was released over 35 years ago, the series has spawned 19 additional games, as well as several spinoffs. The latest addition to the catalog is 2023 Tears of the kingdomcontinuation on Breath of the wild. An animated TV series based on the game debuted in 1989, but only aired for one season.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education