A big-screen adaptation of The Legend of Zelda is on the way. Nintendo is working with Sony Pictures Entertainment on the new Zelda project, following the $1 billion success of Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie adaptation.
Sony will distribute the live-action flick, which will be helmed by Wes Ball, the man behind the Maze Runner trilogy. But did you know that way back in 2010, a tweet from the director showed off his amiable disposition when he admitted to not even harboring the hope that he’d spearhead the direction of a project as epic as The Legend of Zelda?
That being said, now that he is attached to the project as director, his “hope” is granted, and we can be confident that the eagerly anticipated live-action will live up to the hype.
Unearthing Wes Ball’s Decade-Old Tweet & the Anticipation for The Legend of Zelda Live Action
The Legend of Zelda has long been anticipated by fans of the video game series, and Wes Ball’s participation has only heightened the enthusiasm. Famed for his contributions to the Maze Runner trilogy, the director has attested to his ability to produce intense action sequences and profound emotional depth, two elements that are decisive for bringing the whimsical realm of Hyrule to life on screen.
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Ball teased the quality of the much-awaited Nintendo film in a recent chat with The Direct while promoting his latest flick, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The former project is “gonna be great”, Ball said, citing the franchise as “one of the most important things ever in [his] life”.
“We’re working on it. I think it’s gonna be great. Fans are gonna be happy. ‘Legend of Zelda,’ to me, is one of the most important things ever in my life.”
He continued by saying that The Legend of Zelda is the game he has played from “childhood into adulthood”, right next to Star Wars. In his words:
“You know, next to ‘Star Wars.’ I’ve played ‘Legend of Zelda’ throughout my childhood into my adulthood. You know what I mean? I am a fan. I am a fellow fan. I will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that it is the movie we all hope it will be.”
The director chuckled and said, “I can not even tell you that, or Nintendo will come after me”, in response to a question regarding the possible release date of the movie. But he did guarantee that it would take place within the next 10 years.
Strangely, in a throwback to 2010, Ball took to X to admit something that now seems almost laughable—he had no inkling that he would be the one to helm a live-action adaptation of the iconic video game series. Fast forward over a decade later, and the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director is not only attached to the project, but he’s steering it towards what fans expect to be a truly epic and faithful adaptation.
Since I could never even hope to have the chance to direct it… the next big mo-cap Avatar-like movie should be… THE LEGEND OF ZELDA.
— Wes Ball (@wesball) January 29, 2010
Given the popularity of The Legend of Zelda franchise, it is a bit surprising that a movie adaptation has taken this long to come out.
Sony CEO Shared Exciting Insights on The Legend of Zelda Movie Adaptation
For those who are interested in seeing a live-action The Legend of Zelda adaptation, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida provided fans with an update earlier this year. Yoshida hinted that the upcoming film will be “an amazing tale of adventure and discovery”, according to ComicBook.
The CEO of Sony made comments that align with the way the live-action movie’s director, Wes Ball, explained it (above). Reports started to surface indicating that Illumination and Nintendo were considering adapting other properties as features, with The Legend of Zelda being a strong contender, after the enormous commercial success of Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
In November 2023, Nintendo revealed that a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie was in production at Sony (see CBR).
Avi Arad, a seasoned producer of Spider-Man films, will produce the movie along with Shigeru Miyamoto. Although the casting is still in flux, Patricia Summersett—who had previously voiced Princess Zelda—has stated that she would like to return to the role (via Games Radar).
Due to Ball’s silence regarding the release—it is possible that he was unaware of it himself—we still don’t know much about it.
