TheSuper Mario Bros. Moviewas a smash hit, leading it to becomethe second highest-grossing animated movie ever. After such success, making aThe Legend of Zeldamovie would seem like a logical next step.
A recent reportclaimedthat Illumination, the studio behind theMariomovie, is already working with Nintendo to make an adaptation of theZeldaseries. The rumor spread like Internet wildfire, but there’s one problem with this story.TheWrap talked with Illumination CEO Chris Meledandrito ask about aZeldamovie, and it looks like Link’s story isn’t on the table for the studio. Meledandri even adds that he has no idea where these rumors are coming from. Outside of blind guesses from fans, that is.
“I mean I can understand how people would surmise all sorts of things because obviously, we’ve had a great experience working together,” said Meledandri. “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 reports. This is just about what’s next between Nintendo and Illumination.”
Rumors every week
Benjamin Renner, a director at Illumination currently working onMigration,also chimed in about the issue. He says that he sees “one report every week” of what their team is working on next, and this one just so happened to beZelda.
Illumination, the studio behind other hits such asSingandDespicable Me,has already fast-tracked aMariosequel. That could prove to be a reason why aZeldamovie might not see the light of day just yet.
Still, the success ofThe Super Mario Bros. Moviehas earned Meledandri a seat on Nintendo’s board of directors. We’ll have to wait and see if Illumination will take on other Nintendo properties in the future.
