Nintendo is making a live-action movie of The Legend of Zelda with a little help from gaming rival Sony.
Today, the Japanese company announced that the movie will be produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director and Fellow of Nintendo and Avi Arad, Chairman of Arad Productions Inc.
Arad has an abundance of experience as a producer on feature films dating back to 1998 with Blade, but his resume also includes X-Men, Daredevil, The Punisher, The Incredible Hulk, Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Ghost in the Shell, Venom, Uncharted, and Morbius. Most recently he was producer on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and the forthcoming Borderlands movie.
The Zelda movie will be directed by Wes Ball, who most recently directed and produced Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is due for release next year. Previously he directed a trio of Maze Runner movies including his directorial debut The Maze Runner (2014), The Scorch Trials (2015), and The Death Cure (2018).
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is co-financing the production, but Nintendo will provide "more than 50%" of the finance. Sony will also handle theatrical distribution of the movie for Nintendo.
Speaking of the decision to make a Zelda live-action movie, Nintendo said, "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 news of a Zelda movie should come as little surprise following the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which became the most financially successful video game adaptation ever earlier this year by grossing over $500 million. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu also proved to be a huge hit, generating $431 million at the box office.
