A live-action Legend of Zelda movie is on the way. Earlier today, video game giant Nintendo announced that it is developing an adaptation of its massively popular Zelda series. For now, there’s no news regarding which game in the long-running franchise Nintendo will opt to adapt or whether they will create an entirely new story for the feature. As the project is still extremely early in development, there is currently no release date. However, it will be distributed across theaters by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The Legend of Zelda movie is set to be directed by Wes Ball, who has worked with adaptations prior in his career. He is well-known for directing The Maze Runner and its sequels, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. Coming up, he will next helm Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, releasing May 2024. The Legend of Zelda will be produced by Shigeru Miyamoto (Representative Director and Fellow of Nintendo) and Avi Arad (chairman of Arad Productions, Inc.). Arad also has a hefty filmography under his belt, having worked on several Spider-Man projects such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and more, Uncharted, and Tarzan and Jane, among several others. Nintendo and Arad Productions will produce, with Nintendo and Sony Pictures co-financing. At the time of this writing, no writer or casting has been announced.

The Legend of Zelda has long been a staple amongst video game fans, having first released in 1986 on the NES. Since then, the franchise has received nearly 30 video games spanning a range of consoles. The games typically follow a young hero named Link, a Hylian who must save Princess Zelda from some sort of danger. In 2017, Nintendo released the first open world Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, which follows a similar premise but allows players more freedom in how they approach tackling the main storyline and exploring the world. The sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, was released in May 2023.

‘Breath of the Wild’ and ‘Tears of the Kingdom’ Are Potential Adaptation Options
Image via Nintendo

Although Nintendo has yet to reveal any more specifics on storyline ideas for the Legend of Zelda movie, their two recent games offer a possible avenue for them to adapt from. As players go through the games, they unlock a series of Link’s memories that ultimately culminate in the main story of the games. In Breath of the Wild, Link wakes from a century-long slumber to learn that Zelda has been keeping Ganon at bay at Hyrule castle and must help defeat him. His memories lead up into Ganon’s eventual reign over the castle, following Link, Zelda, and Hyrule’s champions. Tears of the Kingdom provides its own movie sequel potential, set years following the events of Breath of the Wild. This time, Zelda goes missing during an exploration mission, with Ganondorf once more threatening the kingdom. However, new elements come into play as Link carries out his heroic quest.

The Legend of Zelda The evil demonic King Ganon has kidnapped the Princess Zelda of Hyrule and held her captive. He put a spell on his lair so no one can get in, and the only way to get in is the three magic pieces of the triforce- Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Ganon splits these three pieces into eight shards and scattered them into the different dungeons in the land. It’s up to a young boy named Link to go through the different dungeons, collect the shards, make them up into the three triforces, brake the spell, defeat Ganon with the silver arrows, and save the princess. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka First TV Show The Legend of Zelda Video Game(s) The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Purchase New and Classic Zelda Games at Nintendo