The creators of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are “interested” in a movie adaptation
by Danny Craig · 5/15/23, 4:30 PM
Nintendo
Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma and game director Hidemaro Fujibayashi have expressed interest in a possible movie adaptation of the iconic franchise following the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The details:
- In a new interview with Polygon, Aonuma, and Fujibayashi were asked if the recent success of the Mario film had them "excited" about the possibility of a future Zelda film. Aonuma responded that he is "interested" in the idea, but that his interest alone will not "make things happen." "Maybe the voice of the fans is what's important here," Fujibayashi added, which is likely, as Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that there is "no doubt" that more films based on the company's IPs will be released in the future.
- If a Zelda film is made, it will most likely feature an entirely new story starring the titular character and protagonist Link. The series itself does not adhere to a strict timeline, with various events leading to different games. Following the events of Ocarina of Time, the timeline begins to diverge, with Link's defeat leading to A Link to the Past and his success leading to Majora's Mask or Wind Waker, depending on whether Link was a child or an adult. Nintendo also revealed that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are located at the end of all timelines.
- Miyamoto also stated in an interview following the Mario film that "there's probably nothing to announce shortly," implying that we'll have to wait at least a couple of years for a Zelda film, with a follow-up film based on Luigi likely to come first. Given the record-breaking numbers that the Mario film has produced in the month since its release, Zelda's first official film will likely be animated by Illumination Entertainment.
More Nintendo news:
- Nintendo has confirmed that it will participate in Gamescom 2023. The event will take place in Cologne, Germany, from August 23 to 27, and it's unclear what to expect from the company, which previously stated that it didn't have enough significant releases to justify attending the now-canceled E3.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has received universal acclaim, perfect or near-perfect scores from several major publications, and fans have given the game a solid 8.6 on Metacritic. The game still has a 97 on OpenCritic, making it the highest-rated game on the site.