Sony making live-action Legend of Zelda movie
In surprising news, Sony is currently working on a live-action film adaptation of the Legend of Zelda—a franchise owned by rival console maker Nintendo.
Nintendo announced today that it was working with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Arad Productions Inc. to develop a live-action Legend of Zelda film. The film will be produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director and Fellow of Nintendo and Avi Arad, Chairman of Arad Productions Inc.
Miyamato should be a familiar name to video game fans, being the creator of Mario and the Legend of Zelda. Arad’s name, on the other hand, should also ring bells, with him being one of the co-founders of Marvel Studios, the studio behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“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,” said Miyamoto in a statement on Nov. 7. “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,” he added.
Directorial duties for the live-action Legend of Zelda movie will be handled by Wes Ball, whose previous work includes the Maze Runner trilogy and 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Sony and Nintendo will be co-financing the film with the latter paying for a bit more than 50 percent. Meanwhile, Sony will be handling worldwide distribution for it.
The news of a live-action Legend of Zelda from Nintendo and Sony comes hot on the heels of both companies seeing a modicum of theatrical box office success. Both Nintendo’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Sony’s Gran Turismo were well-received by fans—the even latter outperforming summer hit Barbie during its debut weekend.
With the announcement that they’re co-producing a live-action Legend of Zelda movie, it looks like both companies are doubling down on bringing more video games to the big screen.
“By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment,” Nintendo stated on their official release. “Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible.”
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