By Gavin Boyle
Nintendo set a release date of March 26, 2027 for the live-action LEGEND OF ZELDA movie, following the success 2023’s THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE.
“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,” executive Shigeru Miyamoto wrote on Nintendo’s official X profile in November 2023. “I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have not officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until it’s completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it.”
While Nintendo has yet to share concrete details about the plot or the actors involved in the project, similar to the SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, the LEGEND OF ZELDA movie will likely follow the general plot of the Zelda franchise. This means princess Zelda will likely be kidnapped by the evil king Gannon, and it will be up to Link, a lowly swordsman, to save her.
The creation of a Zelda movie follows Nintendo’s continued interest in expanding its reach beyond solely video games. The company has released a variety of new products in recent years that move it outside of the gaming realm — like an alarm clock and a music app — along with new experiences, including a Nintendo world at Universal Studios and the Mario-inspired movie.
Related: Nintendo Announces Live-Action Legend of Zelda Movie
THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, in particular, helped promote the company into a new level of popularity. The movie grossed $1.36 billion at the global box office, and was the No. 2 movie of the year. It also helped kick off Hollywood’s obsession with video game adaptations, which has now overtaken the industry, largely replacing the comic book fad.
Zelda isn’t the only character that Nintendo is working on a movie for. Mario is set to receive a sequel to the 2023 hit with a second movie in the series set to release in 2026. At the end of the first movie, a Yoshi egg is seen in New York, hinting at the main focus of the second movie, and Chris Pratt, who voices Mario, teased that even more is in the works.
“I can’t tell you much but I can say that there is another Mario movie coming,” Pratt said. “It gets me very excited thinking about the world of Mario and Nintendo in general. I think over the next decade we will be seeing lots of stories coming out of that world. I was thrilled, honored, and blessed to be part of the first one and moving forward I’m open to doing as much and as little as they want from me. I can’t say much but I am just as excited as everyone else.”
Read Next: SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE Sequel Sets 2026 Premiere Date
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