Legend of Zelda live-action film is in the works, Nintendo reveals

Hit video game to be given cinematic makeover by Maze Runner director Wes Ball

The Legend of Zelda franchise has released dozens of titles since the first in 1986. AFP

The popular video game series The Legend of Zelda is coming to the big screen.

Sony and Nintendo are teaming up for a live-action movie adaptation of the hit franchise, which will be directed by Wes Ball.

The game’s creator and developer Shigeru Miyamoto took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share the news.

He wrote: “This is Miyamoto. I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega-hit films.”

He continued: “I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it.”

Ball directed the Maze Runner trilogy and the coming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The Legend of Zelda was created by Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and launched in 1986. It follows the elf-like warrior Link and Princess Zelda as they fight to save the magical land of Hyrule from Ganon, an evil warlord-turned-demon king.

The franchise has dozens of titles – including originals, rereleases and spin-offs – with the most recent being The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which was released this year. It is the sequel to 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which won universal acclaim and awards including Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2017.

“By producing visual contents of Nintendo IP by itself, Nintendo is creating new opportunities to have people from around the world to access the world of entertainment which Nintendo has built, through different means apart from its dedicated game consoles,” Nintendo said.

“By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible.”