Following the smashing success of the animated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” earlier this year, Nintendo Co. Ltd. plans to bring another of its iconic videogame characters to movie screens.
The Japanese videogame maker announced Tuesday it plans to make a live-action version of “The Legend of Zelda” in conjunction with Sony
SONY,
Pictures Entertainment. Nintendo
7974,
said it will finance more than 50% of the movie.
“Zelda” creator Shigeru Miyamoto will produce the film, along with Avi Arad, whose credits include “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse,” “Venom” and “X-Men.”
“I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san,” Miyamoto tweeted from Nintendo’s account. “We have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it.”
The film will be directed by Wes Ball, who made “The Maze Runner” trilogy and the upcoming “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
The first “The Legend of Zelda” game debuted in 1986, and it’s one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. The latest installation, “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” has sold more than 20 million copies this year, Nintendo said Tuesday, including more than 10 million in the first three days after its release in May.
Nintendo teamed with Comcast’s
CMCSA,
Universal Pictures and Illumination for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which topped $200 million domestically in its opening weekend in April. Overall, it’s grossed about $575 million worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo.
Nintendo said Tuesday it hopes to “create new opportunities” for people around the world to access its IP.
“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,” the company said in a statement.
Earlier Tuesday, Nintendo reported strong first-half profit growth and raised its forecast for the year, citing a boost in videogame sales spurred by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
Nintendo shares surged 6% early Wednesday in Tokyo trading following the announcements.