Credit: Nintendo/IlluminationEarlier this month, we reported that Illumination was close to a deal with Nintendo to make The Legend of Zelda its next trek to dominate the box office. However, it appears that might not be the case at all.
Related: Universal and Illumination Close to Deal For ‘Legend of Zelda’ Movie
No one quite knew that the Super Mario Bros. Movie would have turned into the juggernaut that it did. The animated venture climbed the box office charts into history, as it became the second highest-grossing animated film in cinema history, surpassing Disney’s Frozen. The current title holder is Frozen 2 with $1.45 billion, and the Mario movie is close with $1.32 billion.
Though the Mario movie might not be able to dethrone Frozen 2, it proved that Illumination is here to stay in the upper echelon of animation. The usual case for years was Disney and Pixar dominating the box office and award sector. Still, with the Despicable Me, Secret Life of Pets, and the budding Super Mario Bros franchise—Illumination has become a force of its own.
Another big reason that Illumination succeeded is having Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto serving as a producer and consultant on the film, which contained many easter eggs and callbacks to the storied video game franchise. We imagine bringing him back for a sequel would be Illumination’s top goal.
He also created the Legend of Zelda franchise, though he has not been a significant player in the more recent games: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. However, bringing Miyamoto on as a producer for the potential movie would make sense if there were a movie.
Illumination Shoots Down ‘Legend of Zelda’ Movie Rumors
In a shocking revelation, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri revealed they are not adapting The Legend of Zelda. He is attending the Annecy Festival and caught up with The Wrap to reveal the heartbreaking news. According to Meledandri:
“I don’t know where that came from. I mean I can understand how people would surmise all sorts of things because obviously, we’ve had a great experience working together. My relationship with Nintendo now includes being on their board of directors, so I understand how people can surmise these things. But in terms of the specifics, that was just something that I’ve been hearing lots of rumors. This is just about what’s next between Nintendo and Illumination.”
What is odd about his response is that he indicated that he now sits on the board of directors for Nintendo. Meledandri being CEO of Illumination and a board member of Nintendo, would mean he has the inside track on what is being produced for the company but has shot down the possibility of a Legend of Zelda movie.
Our initial report indicated that Nintendo and Illumination were working on a massive deal to make a Zelda adaptation, so it could be that Meledandri can’t legally state that this movie is being made. Then again, rumors can also take a life of their own simply because fans and reporters want it to happen. We certainly do.
The hope is that Meledandri is ensuring the news of a Legend of Zelda adaptation will come when it’s ready to be fully announced. We would argue that Illumination would be foolish not to attempt to adapt this franchise next, as the world wants to see it done.
Both the newer Zelda games, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, have a rich story that has led to both games selling a massive amount of copies. Should Illumination target this newer take on Link and Princess Zelda, they could easily build an enormous franchise of movies and shows to tell this epic story.
Related: ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Likely to Gross Over $1 Billion, Set to Reshape Movie Industry
Illumination might also focus on building out the Super Mario franchise, which would be wise considering how massively successful the first film was.
Do you want to see Illumination adapt The Legend of Zelda? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!