Nintendo announces Legend Of Zelda film for 2027

PARIS – A live-action film based on Nintendo’s Legend Of Zelda game series will hit big screens around the world on March 26, 2027, the Japanese gaming giant said on March 28.

Nintendo made the announcement on Nintendo Today!, an app that was launched on March 27.

A short video posted on the app reveals the release date for the first film in the Zelda universe, which was created in 1986 by Shigeru Miyamoto, the co-producer of hit game series Super Mario.

Legend Of Zelda games usually feature protagonist Link, a heroic elf warrior who sword-fights his way through a monster-filled fantasy world to aid Princess Zelda. The highly popular series has sold more than 140 million games worldwide.

Its latest instalment – 2023’s Tears Of The Kingdom – became the fastest-selling in the saga’s history.

Nintendo announced in November 2023 that a film was in the works, directed by American film-maker Wes Ball of the Maze Runner trilogy (2014 to 2018).

Also on board as a producer is Avi Arad, a veteran of several Spider-Man movies. He executive-produced the most recent live-action film series (2017 to present) starring British actor Tom Holland as the superhero. Miyamoto will also contribute.

The project is a big-screen first for Zelda, although it was adapted for a 13-episode animated series in 1989.

Nintendo’s most recent movie, The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023), saw the moustachioed plumber’s US$1.36 billion (S$1.82 billion) box office beaten only by Barbie (2023). A sequel is already in the works for April 2026.

The previous attempt to film Mario in 1993 was a flop that put Nintendo off movie adaptations for years. At the time, the company simply sold the rights to its hero to Hollywood without taking a hand in production.

But the success of the closely supervised recent movie has prompted Nintendo to rethink its strategy. AFP