“Zelda” Movie To Be ‘Serious’ & ‘Whimsical’

Back in November came the announcement from Nintendo that a live-action film adaptation of its “The Legend of Zelda” game franchise was in the works.

The project is set to be helmed by “The Maze Runner” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” director Wes Ball who directs from a script by Derek Connelly (“Kong: Skull Island,” “Jurassic World”).

Co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Ball has previously indicated the film is partly inspired by the work of Studio Ghibli co-founder and “Spirited Away” director Hayao Miyazaki and hopes to effectively serve as a live-action take on that master filmmaker’s ‘wonder and whimsy’.

Now, in a new interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar), Ball has spoken some more about his planned overall tone for the movie:

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long freakin’ time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be… I want to fulfill people’s greatest desires. I know it’s important, this (Zelda) franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape. I want to try to create – it’s got to feel like something real. Something serious and cool, but fun and whimsical.”

The game series follows Link, the courageous Master Sword-wielding hero of the kingdom of Hyrule which also includes the wise Princess Zelda. On his adventures, Link clashes with the dark lord Ganondorf who seeks the power of a sacred relic known as the Triforce.

Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad will produce the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. Last year saw “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” become one of the highest-grossing film of the year with $1.3 billion box-office success.

Source: Dark Horizons