Nintendo Expresses Optimism for the Release of the Live-Action Zelda Film within This Current Decade
Nintendo Expresses Optimism for the Release of the Live-Action Zelda Film within This Current Decade
Around about a year ago to the day, Nintendo dropped the bombshell that they were working on a live-action Legend of Zelda movie, which was set to be directed by Wes Ball. Ball, you might remember, enjoyed a fair amount of success with the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but it's unclear if a sequel to that is next for Ball or if his attention is now focused on Hyrule.
Nintendo seemed to suggest that we could potentially see this movie materialize between 2026 and 2030, as indicated in a major financial presentation they gave last Tuesday night. While this isn't an official release date, more like a hopeful promise to shareholders, it does suggest that sometime within that window we might get to see Zelda in live-action.
However, it's important to note that this isn't set in stone. With no concrete release date, it's just a matter of patience and watchful waiting. If production began today, it could still mean we'd be waiting until 2026 to see the movie, which would already be after Super Mario Bros. 2's April 2026 release. Ball has been attached to the project for a year now, but we're unsure as to exactly how long he's been actively working on it. He's certainly been dreaming of it for a long time, though, as hinted at during his interview with io9 this summer.
“I don’t have blinders on,” Ball told us about his expectations for the Zelda movie. “I know what I’m getting myself into. I wouldn’t have done it unless I thought I was capable of doing it. I wouldn’t have done this movie if I didn’t think I was capable of doing it. Hopefully I have. We’ll see. But I grew up playing Zelda, dreaming about Zelda, thinking about Zelda. It’s an important thing to me, so I will do my best to not mess it up.”
Taking care to ensure the story is right and crafting a good script is crucial, and with the actual filming being just a part of the larger production process, it's likely that we'd be waiting even longer. Ball did manage to go from starting production on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in September 2022 to releasing it in May 2024, so he's certainly capable of getting a movie made in relatively quick succession, but it's unclear if he has the time to fit Zelda into his schedule before 2030.
io9 reached out to Ball's production company for comment but has yet to receive a response as of publication. We'll keep you posted if they get back to us, and in the meantime, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and wait to see if this movie actually happens. After all, as Nintendo well knows, it's better to release no movie than a bad one.
The live-action Legend of Zelda movie, if it does materialize, could potentially benefit from future advancements in movie-making technology. According to Ball, he's had a long-standing affection for the Zelda series, expressing his excitement during an interview with io9.