Reports have emerged suggesting that Universal and Illumination are currently engaged in negotiations to bring The Legend of Zelda to the big screen. Building on the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the studios are actively collaborating with Nintendo to kickstart the development of a feature film centered around the video game franchise. These rumors gained traction after being discussed on a recent episode of The Hot Mic with Jeff Sneider and John Rocha. It is believed that if the deal goes through, this project would mark a major milestone for Illumination, positioning it as a significant player in the realm of video game adaptations.
In 2015, rumors had circulated about a live-action television series based on The Legend of Zelda, which was reportedly in the works at Netflix. However, it appears that Nintendo made the decision to halt the production after details of the series were leaked to the press. Comedian and voice actor Adam Conover, who had insight into the matter due to his involvement in a claymation Star Fox movie project with Nintendo, shared his perspective during an interview on The Serf Times podcast.
Conover revealed that Nintendo scrapped both the Star Fox movie and The Legend of Zelda series as a direct consequence of the leaks, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the canceled ventures.
“This probably means nothing to anybody, but it’s a story that I feel like I can tell now. In 2015, there was this news that Netflix was going to make a Legend of Zelda television show… it was supposed to be live-action show and it got a lot of coverage in the gaming press… At the same time I worked at CollegeHumor and we had a secret project where we were going to make a claymation version of Star Fox with Nintendo.
Then, a month later, suddenly there were reports Netflix wasn’t going to do its Legend of Zelda anymore. I was like ‘What happened?’ And then I heard from my boss we weren’t doing our Star Fox anymore. I was like, ‘What happened?’ He was like, ‘Someone at Netflix leaked the Legend of Zelda thing, they weren’t supposed to talk about it, Nintendo freaked out… and they pulled the plug on everything, the entire program to adapt these things.”
Super Mario’s Success Boosts Chances for The Legend of Zelda Movie
Released on April 5, 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie captivated audiences around the globe, proving to be a monumental success in the world of animated films. It swiftly garnered acclaim, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all time with a revenue exceeding $1.3 billion. Setting box-office records, the film shattered the previous records for the biggest worldwide opening weekend for an animated feature and solidified its place as the most profitable video game adaptation in history. Building upon the monumental triumph of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo is rumored to be actively developing a sequel and exploring the possibilities of spin-off movies centered around characters like Luigi and Donkey Kong.
The remarkable achievements of the film have also sparked interest in further expanding the cinematic universe of Nintendo’s iconic properties. With a strategic eye on future ventures, it is highly anticipated that other revered Nintendo franchises will follow suit, with The Legend of Zelda being a prime candidate for the movie treatment. Nintendo, initially reluctant about live-action adaptations, underwent a significant change in perspective when they announced their collaboration with Illumination Entertainment, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, to produce The Super Mario Bros. Movie.