Another Nintendo Character Is Getting A Movie, But Not The Movie Being Reported
Earlier this year, Nintendo and Illumination teamed up to bring their classic character Mario to life in the The Super Mario Bros. Movie. After earning over $1 billion at the box office, it’s no wonder Nintendo wants to give more of their iconic characters their own film adaptations. Next up, Link is supposed to get his own The Legend of Zelda movie, and while we previously understood that this would be an animated film, a news leak reported by Fandom Wire claimed that it might actually be live-action movie instead.
We exclusively reported in January The Legend of Zelda animated film was being developed by Illumination, but now other sites are reported the film will be live-action.
The news leaker (My Time to Shine Hello) shared that the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie is being developed by Nintendo and Universal Studios, rather than Illumination. This is likely because Universal Studios specializes in live-action adventure movies like King Kong, The Mummy, and Jurassic World while Illumination specializes in animated films like the Despicable Me franchise, The Secret Life of Pets, and of course, The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
It also makes sense that Nintendo would give Link his own movie after the newer Zelda video games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) were so successful.
The supposed decision to create a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie comes as a surprise since the animated Mario movie was such a success. This could be a sign that Nintendo wants to create a more serious film adaptation that is meant for adults rather than children. Since most people who play Zelda are typically 10 years old or older, then it makes sense that Nintendo and Universal would cater to an older audience.
It also makes sense that Nintendo would give Link his own movie after the newer Zelda video games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) were so successful. The two games were a huge hit on Switch, with both of them reaching 20 million sales.
In our Giant Freakin Robot exclusive article from February 2023, we shared that Nintendo was developing The Legend of Zelda movie, but that it was going to be an animated film. This was before the success of the Mario movie, so we weren’t sure how things would pan out for Link.
Now that it looks promising that there will be The Legend of Zelda movie, fans are wondering who will voice Link and what he will say. Typically, he doesn’t speak in the video games, but instead expresses his words with characters. However, the Mario film was sa huge success with Chris Pratt voicing the protagonist.
It also makes sense that Nintendo would give Link his own movie after the newer Zelda video games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) were so successful.
One potential workaround for this—which we mentioned back in February—is that Link and the other characters in the world of Hyrule could simply not talk in The Legend of Zelda movie. Instead, the film could focus on stunning visuals and an impressive score, though that could be trickier with a live-action film.
We’ll be sure to share more details as they emerge, so make sure to stay tuned for all the latest news.
