Nintendo Officially Teams With Avi Arad For Live-Action ‘The Legend Of Zelda’ Film, ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’ Screenwriter Set To Pen Script

Link and Shiek battle Ganondorf's forces in Yusuke Nakano's illustration for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), Nintendo
Link and Shiek battle Ganondorf's forces in Yusuke Nakano's illustration for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), Nintendo

Undoubtedly emboldened in their decision by the recent success of their mascot’s recent cinematic outing, Nintendo has officially announced that they will be teaming with producer Avi Arad and director Wes Ball to develop a live-action The Legend of Zelda film.

Link takes on Ganondorf in Yusuke Nakano's illustration for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), Nintendo
Link takes on Ganondorf in Yusuke Nakano’s illustration for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), Nintendo

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Link’s jump to the silver screen was first confirmed by Nintendo itself via a November 8th press release published to its official website.

Alongside the news that said film was in development, the legendary game maker announced that the project would be produced by The Legend of Zelda series creator and esteemed Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto as well as storied comic book movie producer Avi Arad, whose notable credits include such lauded films as Spider-Man 2 (2004), Iron Man (2008), and Sony’s thus-far Spider-Verse duology – as well as stinkers like X-Men: The Last Stand, Morbius, and Uncharted.

Link (Kengo Takahashi) prepares to fell Ganondorf (Takashi Nagasako) in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), Nintendo
Link (Kengo Takahashi) prepares to fell Ganondorf (Takashi Nagasako) in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), Nintendo

Elaborating on the film’s creative team, Nintendo also revealed that Link’s live-action adventure would be directed by Wes Ball, whose brief Hollywood filmography includes stints helming The Maze Runner trilogy of films and the soon-to-be-released Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Further, per Deadline, Nintendo has tapped Jurassic World and Star Wars Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker screenwriter Derek Connolly to tackle the film’s script.

Link looks horrified as his arm is engulfed by dark and eldritch energy via The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo
Link looks horrified as his arm is engulfed by dark and eldritch energy in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo

Notably, Sony Pictures will also have a hand in bringing The Legend of Zelda film to fruition, as it “will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., with more than 50% financed by Nintendo.”

As part of this partnership, Sony will also handle the film’s eventual theatrical distribution.

Link prepares to write his part in a tale of souls and swords that is eternally retold in Soulcalibur II (2002), Namco
Link prepares to write his part in a tale of souls and swords that is eternally retold in Soulcalibur II (2002), Namco

Closing out their press release, Nintendo proudly beamed, “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.”

“By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment,” the developer concluded. “Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible.”

Zelda (Patricia Sommerset) draws the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo
Zelda (Patricia Sommerset) draws the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), Nintendo

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Addressing fans through the official Nintendo Twitter account shortly after the project’s announcement, Miyamoto himself detailed, “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.”

Shigeru Miyamoto announces the live-action The Legend of Zelda film
Archive Link Nintendo via Twitter

“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,” he added. “It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it.”

Shigeru Miyamoto announces the live-action The Legend of Zelda film
Archive Link Nintendo via Twitter

With the film having just been announced, as of writing, neither Nintendo nor Sony have offered any information regarding The Legend of Zelda‘s potential release date.

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