Credit: NintendoIllumination might overtake Disney as the top animators, and that is simply because their quality has been on a meteoric rise for quite some time. With the success of the Despicable Me and Life of Pets franchises, they had already been in a great place. However, the massive success of the Super Mario Bros. Movie has genuinely made the studio a giant in the animation game. A new report indicates that Univeral and Illumination are set to make a Legend of Zelda movie.
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Like Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda is one of the earliest video game franchises. Starting back in 1986, it was released by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. As most fans know, Miyamoto is the mastermind behind many Nintendo games. He was also a producer for the Super Mario Bros. movie and a man held in high regard by gamers worldwide.
Since the creation of the Legend of Zelda, the franchise has gone on to release a total of 19 mainline games that exist in the universe. There have also been many spinoffs and remakes of past titles. Link’s continuous journey to save Princess Zelda and stop the evil Ganon (Ganondorf) has captivated millions for decades.
The Legend of Zelda also just released the Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK) sequel to the hit Breath of the Wild (BOTW) game. TOTK sold a record-breaking 10 million copies in three days.
This new age of Zelda stories could be the subject of a new movie; it would likely go over quite well with fans. However, it is now being reported by industry insiders that a movie is in the works.
‘Legend of Zelda’ Targeted By Illumination Next
The Legend of Zelda is the next movie that Illumination and Universal target. The news comes from The Hot Mic Podcast, which features industry insiders John Rocha and Jeff Sneider. We have leaned heavily toward Sneider’s scoops, and this sounds like the type of move that would make sense, especially with how much of a monster the Super Mario Bros. movie would be.
Sneider stated on the podcast that Universal is “closing a deal” with the Nintendo corporation to bring this adaptation to life. Sneider also indicated that Universal is paying top dollar for the adaptation, which makes sense considering how massively successful the games have been.
Universal and Illumination also teaming up again make the most sense, considering they have joined forces for this massive surge in successful animation properties from Illumination.
What is most intriguing about this news is if Universal and Illumination would go for a live-action version of The Legend of Zelda. Considering Illumination has been an animated-focused studio, that is likely not the case. Many fans would want to see Link in live-action, but that might have to wait.
The more likely case is that Illumination will take Link into an animated world and use the current stories and animation style. As stated, fans have loved BOTW and TOTK. BOTW won Game of the Year honors, and TOTK will likely achieve the same. The ancient nature of Link’s current self and how he must save Hyrule is quite captivating. It would certainly make for a great movie.
Nothing has been confirmed, but Illumination targeting Legend of Zelda as its next animated blockbuster makes perfect sense. The possibility of the movie turning into a long franchise is also why Illumination cannot wait to get its hands on this gaming franchise.
Related: Disney CEO Thanks ‘Super Mario’ Movie For Saving Industry
We hope it’s true and they honor the games the correct way. Utilizing Shigeru Miyamoto as a producer will certainly be the route to go.
Are you excited about a potential Legend of Zelda game from Illumination? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!