A Zelda film isn’t in the works, but after Mario’s success Eiji Aonuma is definitely “interested” in one
It seems that the success of the Super Marios Bros. Movie has Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma interested in a film adaptation of the RPG series.
The Mario movie was always going to be successful, with Nintendo itself playing a big role in getting it made alongside the growing powerhouse that is Illumination. And now we know just how successful it is, as late last month the film crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office, making it the fifth highest grossing animated film of all time, and the 24th highest grossing film of all time. So of course all that success has led Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom producer Aonuma to consider a game based on his own Master Sword wielding hero.
In an interview with Polygon, Aonuma spoke about a range of topics to do with Tears of the Kingdom, and was asked about the possibility of a Zelda movie. “I am interested for sure,” Aonuma said. “But it’s not just me being interested in something that makes things happen, unfortunately!” Like he says, he can’t make that happen just on his own, though he is the overall producer of the series, so I can only imagine he does have a bit of sway somewhere along the line. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi also chimed in about a possible film, saying, “Maybe the voice of the fans is what’s important here.”
Don’t place your bets on seeing a Zelda film, or even necessarily a Mario sequel, in the near future though. In Nintendo’s recent investor call, CEO Shuntaro Furukawa noted that the Mario film has encouraged sales for the plumber’s games and merch, with that being the important thing for Nintendo.
Still, who needs a film right now when we’ve got the behemoth that is Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Everyone’s excited about it, even PlayStation and Xbox, and reviews are extremely positive across the board. Shame you can’t pet the dog, though.
