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

Spencer Baculi   |  

Nov 7, 2023

• Share on Gab
• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Flipboard
• Share on Reddit
• Share on News Break
• Share via Email

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.

RELATED: Kotaku Journalist Luke Plunkett Insinuates A Desire For Anti-Japanese Violence In Response To Nintendo Denying The Outlet A Review Copy Of ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’

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.

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.

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.

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.”

RELATED: ‘The Legend Of Zelda’ Producer Eiji Aonuma Says No DLC For ‘Tears Of The Kingdom’: “We Feel That We Have Exhausted The Possibilities Of Creating Fun In That World”

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.”

“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.”

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.

RELATED: Super Mario Bros. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto: ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Success Thanks In Part To “Overseas Critics” Giving “Quite Low Marks”