Nintendo has started development on a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie that will be produced by Morbius, Spider-Verse, and Uncharted producer Avi Arad.
The movie will be directed by Wes Ball, best known for his work on The Maze Runner trilogy. If that choice raises eyebrows, it’s worth remembering that Ball is also the director of upcoming flick Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and that franchise has a history of allowing filmmakers (including The Batman director Matt Reeves) to showcase their best side.
In a brief press release, Nintendo explained that franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto will also serve as a producer on the movie. The company added that it chose to work with Arad because he’s produced “mega hit films,” including many that leverage Marvel properties.
The production will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment, with more than 50 percent of the financing being provided by the Switch maker. Sony will handle theatrical distribution.
“By producing visual contents of Nintendo IP by itself, Nintendo is creating new opportunities to have people from around the world to access the world of entertainment which Nintendo has built, through different means apart from its dedicated game consoles,” said Nintendo.
“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.”
Nintendo’s first proper foray into the movie business with The Super Mario Bros. Movie paid off big time. The film, which featured Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario, has earned $1.36 billion at the global box office to become the highest-grossing video game movie and second highest-grossing animated film of all time.
The Japanese company believes the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie drove players towards Mario-related video games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which topped 4.3 million sales within two weeks.