The Legend of Zelda has quite a bit to live up to. Nearly forty years after the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda first made its way out into the world, a live-action film adaptation is now in the works, with Maze Runner and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball at the helm. Shigeru Miyamoto, producer and game director at Nintendo (and co-creator of The Legend of Zelda), has excitedly been involved with the project and even made announcements on his own social media. He would announce the casting of Zelda and Link with screen test shots of Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth in their respective roles. Sony and Nintendo are slated to release the film on April 30, 2027.
This year’s Nintendo Direct will go live today with updates from the company, including the Legend of Zelda movie. It’s likely the trailer will premiere during the live broadcast, but Nintendo won’t leave you hanging. The famous video game empire has decided to whet your whistle with a little tease by unveiling the official logo from the movie, which you can take a look at below.
Since the official word broke that Nintendo is pursuing a live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, Maze Runner director Wes Ball, who will be overseeing Hyrule, has said he wants The Legend of Zelda to feel like a live-action Miyazaki film, which is likely to please dedicated fans of the Nintendo property. Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron, Princess Mononoke) is the legend who co-founded Studio Ghibli and is often called the “Godfather of Anime.” Ball says his vision for The Legend of Zelda is “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.”
Meanwhile, on the video game side of things. Last week, Nintendo announced a DLC update to their previous entry in the Mario Kart franchise with a new eight-person split-screen mode and real-face avatars for Mario Kart 8. It is also likely that they will show footage from their previously announced Ocarina of Time remake, which launches in November. Some screenshots are already making their rounds online, but nothing has been confirmed at the moment.