RUMOR: Is The Legend of Zelda the Next Nintendo Animated Movie?

Movies

As rumors go, this one sounds a hell of a lot more likely than Disney selling Star Wars back to George Lucas. On The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider revealed that “a big source” told him that Universal is “closing a, quote, ‘big deal’ with the Nintendo corporation” to make a movie based on The Legend of Zelda. This, of course, follows the massive success of this year’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has made $1.3 billion worldwide.

But there may be more than just The Legend of Zelda on the docket. Scooper Daniel Richtman released a story through his Patreon (which only members can access, but you can see the story on JoBlo) claiming that Nintendo and animation company Illumination are not just working on The Legend of Zelda but adaptations of Luigi’s Mansion and Donkey Kong, as well as a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This would confirm Chris Pratt’s comments from a few months ago about a planned Nintendo Cinematic Universe.

If any of this is true, it isn’t all that surprising. After Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda is Nintendo’s next-highest-profile property. But I don’t find the other films being developed hard to believe either; a Mario Bros. sequel is a no-brainer, and Luigi’s Mansion and Donkey Kong would be spin-offs of that movie. While Universal, Nintendo, and Illumination are wise to strike while the iron is hot, I hope they take their time with these as much as they need to rather than spread themselves too thin. They’ve got the potential to have a strong, long-lasting franchise if they go about it the right way. I think they’d be wise to give The Legend of Zelda a different tone than Super Mario Bros.; that one should be taken more seriously and be a straightforward fantasy/adventure movie rather than have zany comedy. If they do that, releasing it next is a great move; let audiences see that this world has room for all sorts of movies. And I think people could use an old-fashioned adventure about a swashbuckling hero who saves the princess from an evil villain. The usual suspects will complain, but these people complained about Super Mario Bros. too, and Peach was a fighter in that. Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal have a real opportunity with this, and I hope they don’t squander it.