Nintendo has learned a thing or two about making movies. Its first outing back in 1993 was somewhat absolutely a disaster. A confusing live-action flick starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo was so, so bad. But thirty year later in 2023, Nintendo tried again. And boy did they have success. So much so that its other tentpole franchise is heading toward the big screen. Yuri Kageyama at the AP has more.
Nintendo is developing a live-action film based on its hit video game “The Legend of Zelda." The film, with financing from Sony Pictures Entertainment as well as its own investment, will be directed by Wes Ball, the American director of the upcoming “Planet of the Apes” film. It’s being co-produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions Inc., which is behind the live-action Spider-Man films and headed by Avi Arad.
The planned release date of the Zelda movie was not announced. Shigeru Miyamoto, the Nintendo executive who has spearheaded the creative innovations at the company for decades, said it will be released only when it’s ready, while stressing that work on the project has been going on for a decade.
“I realize there are so many Zelda fans, and we cannot betray their expectations. That is a big hurdle. But we are ready,” said Miyamoto.
AP
I'm old enough to remember when video game (and superhero) movies were bad. That aforementioned Mario movie in '93 was up there with the terrible Street Fighter movie as bad movies. The first 'good' movie was Mortal Kombat but even that was a bit cheesy. Basically, video games do not necessarily make good fodder for movies.
Nintendo, to me, took a risk again because movie animation is on-par with the quality in video games. And, storytelling has come a long way since 1993. In the end, SMB last year was an incredible film. I loved it for the endless nostalgia nods but also for being fun and innovative. The Legend of Zelda, especially marked as live-action, certainly interests me. Nintendo and all the other companies working on it have to get it right. If it's a miss, I could easily see Nintendo scurrying away once again in order to protect its key franchise.