Nintendo has announced that a live-action film based on The Legend of Zelda is now in development. It will be produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions, and is set to be directed by Wes Ball. Nintendo will finance "more than 50%" of the project, with Sony Pictures picking up the rest of the bill and handling distribution, according to a press release.
"I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films," Shigeru Miyamoto says in a statement on Twitter. "I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it."
Avi Arad is probably best known as the former owner of Marvel Comics, and the founder of Marvel Studios, which ushered in the era of the MCU. While he resigned from Marvel Studios as the MCU was getting underway, he continued to produce Sony's Spider-Man films and their spinoffs. He's also producing the upcoming Borderlands adaptation.
Director Wes Ball previously directed all three entries in the Maze Runner series, and is currently directing the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is due for release in 2024.
This announcement follows the wild success of the animated Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released earlier this year. Rumors earlier this year suggested that Illumination, which produced the Mario movie, was working with Nintendo on an animated Zelda film, but those rumors were quickly denied by Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri.
The list of upcoming video game movies just keeps getting longer.
