I would like to ask where this picture comes from? This is an exclusive image of the “Legend of Zelda” movie project proposed to Nintendo by Japanese animation company Imagi in 2007. You may be familiar with Imagi – they have produced CG versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Atom Kids movies. As you can see, Nintendo immediately rejected the project, and this video is the only remaining fragment of the proposal from that year.
In fact, when the news came out in 2023 that Nintendo would work with Sony Pictures Entertainment to produce an official “The Legend of Zelda” movie, our jaws dropped!
Even with the success of Super Mario Bros. The Movie, we still felt that a Zelda adaptation was not that feasible, and it seems that Nintendo has been thinking the same way for many years. According to the Video Game History Hour podcastNintendo’s “Marketing Wizard” Gail Tilden According to legend, legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto always rejects the idea of making a Zelda movie outright.
Steven Spielberg is one of the most iconic film directors and producers in the United States, and is known as the founder of modern Hollywood films. He is good at combining entertainment with humanistic spirit, and his works span adventure, science fiction, war, history and other genres. From “Jaws”, “E.T.”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Jurassic Park” to “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan”, every film has left a deep mark on film history. But few people know that he also directed cartoon series such as “The Adventures of Bunny Bunny” and “Animaniacs.”
What if Steven Spielberg came and said he wanted to make a Zelda movie? To be honest, Shigeru Miyamoto ignored them all back then.
“People are always calling about making a Zelda movie, and the most common question is, ‘We’re calling to make a Zelda movie.’ And the answer is always ‘no.’ So, you know, I even asked Mr. Miyamoto personally, ‘If Steven Spielberg was talking about making a Zelda movie, what would the answer be?’ And he said, ‘No.’ That’s it.”
“The answer has always been ‘no’.”
This makes people wonder:What exactly made Nintendo change its mind?Is it because of the astonishing success of “Super Mario Bros. the Movie”? Or does Nintendo simply want to expand its brand reach through movies and theme parks? Regardless, we remain cautiously optimistic about the upcoming Zalda movie.
Shigeru Miyamoto is still active in Nintendo as a “representative director creative fellow”. Although he is no longer directly involved in game development, he still exerts influence on the company’s core planning and brand strategy. In recent years, he has focused on expanding the diversified development of Nintendo IP, including leading the “Super Nintendo World” theme park project, and actively participating in cross-media projects such as “Super Mario Bros. the Movie” and “The Legend of Zelda” movie. He is an important promoter of Nintendo’s globalization of entertainment business.What made him change his mind?
Avi Arad is an Israeli-American producer who has been active in Hollywood for many years and is one of the important promoters of superhero movie adaptations. He was once a core figure at Marvel Studios, participating in the creation of “Spider-Man”, “Iron Man”, “X-Men” and other works, and is regarded as a key figure in bringing comic book adaptations to the mainstream market. In recent years, he has been actively involved in the field of game adaptation, including cooperating with Nintendo to produce the “Legend of Zelda” movie. He is one of the few senior producers in the industry who spans comics, animation, games and movies.
Wes Ball is an emerging American director and producer who is famous for directing the “Maze Runner” series of movies, showing his unique style of action scenes and visual storytelling. He is good at combining youth adventure themes with science fiction elements, with a fast pace and strong visuals. He also recently directed “War for the Planet of the Apes: Kingdom Birth”, which received critical acclaim, proving his ability to control the field of large-scale commercial special effects films. Now he has taken over the position of director of the “Legend of Zelda” movie and is attracting much attention.
With Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad on board as producers, the Zelda movie will be directed by Wes Ball, who recently received critical acclaim for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to the rebooted franchise from Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves.
Regarding this Imagi “Legend of Zelda” movie planning clip, even though this is just an early proposal, Imagi still tried to incorporate light and shadow changes, camera movements and fantasy scenes in just a few minutes of clips, reflecting their desire to create a “Zelda” movie with a Hollywood visual scale but retaining Japanese animation aesthetics. This style is actually completely different from the more people-friendly and cartoon-like approach that Nintendo later adopted in “Super Mario Bros. The Movie” – if this plan had been approved back then, the film and television fate of “The Legend of Zelda” might have been different.
In an interview with “Deadline”, Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Pictures Group, specifically mentioned that the success of “Super Mario Bros. Movie” was also due to the close cooperation with Shigeru Miyamoto, and directly called him the “real genius” of “The Legend of Zelda” because he knows the essence and details of this world:
“The film is being developed and produced in the closest collaboration with (Nintendo game designer) Shigeru Miyamoto. He is a true genius in this field, and this work is driven by his intense vision. He is the creator of this world and understands its core completely. You only have to look at the results of The Super Mario Bros. Movie to see that.”
According to the initial official announcement, the live-action film will be co-financed by Sony and helmed by Avi Arad, chairman of Arad Productions Inc., along with Shigeru Miyamoto.
Wes Ball has publicly stated that he has followed Link’s adventures since he was a child and understands the importance of this series. He also expressed his hope to “fulfill fans’ greatest wishes.”