Nintendo delighted long-time fans of the famous 'The Legend of Zelda' franchise after it reportedly announced on Wednesday that the company would be creating a live-action film for Link's Adventures, and more than likely with Zelda, Ganon, and others.
The film will be spearheaded by 'Maze Runner' and "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." Director Wes Ball with talented producers "Super Mario" creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad, a veteran producer who previously worked on "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." It will also reportedly be written by Derek Connolly, who previously notably worked on "Jurassic World."
(Photo : RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)
This photo taken on May 8, 2023 shows a display (R) for Japanese gaming giant Nintendo's long-running "Legend of Zelda" game series, at the company's official store in Tokyo's Shibuya district.
Variety reported that the announcement was made by the gaming icon on Nintendo's official X/Twitter account, who said, "This is Miyamoto. 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."
Development for the live-action film has already started, says the producer. However, Miyamoto maintained that the project will take some time before fans can see their favorite hero and heroine on the big screen.
Plot and casting details are currently "under wraps," but if the movie follows the video game series, fans, and players will be able to relive the adventures of the elf-like warrior Link, who sets out to battle the evil Ganon and save Zelda, the princess of Hyrule.
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Nintendo and Sony's Involvement
Another good news for the fans, as per the official announcement, is that the film's development and production will see heavy involvement from Nintendo themselves, a similar move made to the recent successful animated hit "Super Mario Bros."
Nintendo additionally said in its statement that it aims to remain committed to being heavily involved in its properties' productions for the big screen "to produce unique entertainment."
Nintendo is also stated to contribute more than 50% of the movie's funding, with Sony Pictures Entertainment contributing the remaining portion. Sony will handle the distribution to theaters.
Nintendo's Venture To Theatrical Territory
This announcement comes after the company scored a huge success on the "Super Mario Bros" movie that grossed over $1.36 billion at the worldwide box office. Nintendo has also reportedly doubled sales in its mobile and intellectual property-related business to 55 billion yen ($365.86 million) within the current fiscal year's first half.
Reuters also reports that Nintendo's latest move comes after recent successes of Japanese franchises globally, most recently the success of the hit manga and anime "One Piece."
Nintendo also spoke about its ventures beyond the video game industry by stating that it aims to "put smiles on everyone's faces." Additionally, the statement says that "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."
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