The Legend of Zelda live-action movie was first announced in November 2023, and Nintendo used its new Nintendo Today news app — announced at yesterday’s Nintendo Direct — to reveal the release date: March 26, 2027.
We still know little to nothing about the casting or the story, but Nintendo’s famed Shigeru Miyamoto took to the Nintendo Today app to let the world know he would be involved in the production of the film, alongside Avi Arad (known for “Into the Spider-Verse”, “Borderlands”, and numerous other films.)
Wes Ball, director of”The Maze Runner” and “Kingdom of Planet of the Apes”, is also involved. Both Sony Pictures Entertainment and Nintendo are financing the movie, although the majority of the funds will come from Nintendo.
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
Legend of Zelda movies have been pitched numerous times over the years, but the answer was always a resounding no, according to the Video Game History Hour podcast. That changed with the success of the Super Mario Bros movie, however. Though many fans are skeptical that Hollywood can adapt the beloved franchise into a film, Wes Ball is hopeful.
In a 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ball described his idea for the movie as “this awesome fantasy-adventure movie that isn’t like “Lord of the Rings”, it’s its own thing. I’ve always said, I would love to see a live-action Miyazaki. That wonder and whimsy that he brings to things, I would love to see something like that.”
Ball’s previous statements on the film indicate it will be more grounded than the Super Mario Bros movie, honoring the gritter tone of the Legend of Zelda franchise. Ball had tweeted as far back as 2010 about his desire to direct a Legennd of Zelda movie, although at the time, he considered it no more than a pipedream.
Without even a teaser trailer, speculation about the film continues to run wild. Only time will tell how Miyamoto will steer the helm, but with luck, the world of Hyrule will be brought to life on the big screen like never before.
