The Legend of Zelda Director Drops New Update

Wes Ball is outlining his vision for The Legend of Zelda.

The upcoming live-action movie, based on Nintendo’s long-running video game series starring an elf boy on a fairytale quest to defeat evil forces threatening a magical kingdom, is a “serious movie,” according to the director.

"I've been thinking about it for a long freakin' time," Ball tells Total Film. "I want to fulfil people's greatest desires. I know it's important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people, and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape."

Ball, who’s best known for the Maze Runner trilogy, and who most recently directed upcoming blockbuster Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, says The Legend of Zelda has "to feel like something real. Something serious and cool but fun and whimsical."

Nintendo and Universal found a winning formula with last year’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, one of only two movies in 2023 to hit a billion at the box office (Barbie is the other). 2019’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu also hit big, generating $450 million globally.

For The Legend of Zelda movie, Nintendo is partnering with Sony Pictures. The game’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto is producing alongside Avi Arad, who’s behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, while the script is reportedly being penned by Jurassic World screenwriter Derek Connolly.

Read more on the Legend of Zelda movie in production at Nintendo.