Nintendo is making a live Zelda movie with the Spider-Verse producer

The Zelda movie is officially entering production

Nintendo is making a live-action Legend of Zelda film with Into the Spider-Verse producer Avi Arad and Maze Runner director Wes Ball. The Big N made the announcement in a surprise press release following its quarterly earnings and said that while Nintendo and Arad have worked on the film behind the scenes for years, it’s finally entering production now.

Arad is known for his work on Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the 2000 X-Men movie, though he’s produced a few questionable films as well, including Morbius. Ball is known for the Maze Runner films, and he’s also directing 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is co-producing the film with Avi Arad and Arad’s production company Arad Productions. Nintendo is financing more than half of the film, and Sony Pictures Entertainment will distribute the film theatrically worldwide. Sony is also helping finance the production.

There's no word on who will play Link or if he'll speak / Nintendo

“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 in the press release. “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.”

It’ll likely put a smile on Nintendo’s bookkeeping records as well. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which released in April 2023, grossed over $1 billion in theaters alone and broke box office records.

Miyamoto said on Twitter that since production has only just begun, it will be a while before the film is ready for release. Nintendo didn't say if the Zelda movie will follow a new storyline or adapt one of the series' many games, such as 2023's hit Tears of the Kingdom on Nintendo Switch.