This afternoon Nintendo of Japan officially confirmed that it is working with Sony Pictures to bring one of its most seminal franchises, The Legend of Zelda, to the big screen in a live action movie adaptation.
Avi Arad will produce the film for Sony alongside Nintendo’s own Shigeru Miyamoto. The film will be directed by Wes Ball, who helmed the Maze Runner films, as well as the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. In a major move for the game publisher’s ambitions to bring more of its properties to film after the success of the Super Mario Bros. movie, Nintendo will co-finance The Legend of Zelda with Sony, to the value of more than 50% of the film’s production.
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“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,” a statement attributed to Miyamoto shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, read in part. “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.”
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“By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible,” the publisher itself added in its own statement.
The Legend of Zelda is, alongside Mario, arguably Nintendo’s other powerhouse gaming franchise. Earlier this year the company launched Tears of the Kingdom, the highly-anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, one of the highest-selling and most critically acclaimed video games of the year.
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We’ll bring you more on Nintendo and Sony’s plans for the Legend of Zelda movie as we learn them.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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