As a mega fan of The Legend of Zelda series, news of a movie adaptation finally happening instantly filled me with fear. How could anyone possibly take this franchise, which has spanned decades and dozens of games, and turn it into a worthwhile movie? And really? The dude who made The Maze Runner is the guy to do it?
Well that dude, Wes Ball, knows what he’s talking about. Weeks after releasing the first trailer for his next film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (and a mighty exciting trailer it is), Ball has finally revealed a bit about his vision and excitement over the project and the quotes gave me the most dangerous thing a fan can have: hope.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Ball told Entertainment Weekly. “My whole life has led up to this moment. I grew up on Zelda and it is the most important property, I think, that’s untapped IP, if you will. So we very much are working hard to do something. We’re not just trying to do it because we can. We want to make something really special.”
Ball expanded on that, giving a frankly, even more exciting, example of what the film is aiming for. An “awesome fantasy-adventure movie that isn’t like Lord of the Rings, it’s its own thing,” he said. “I’ve always said, I would love to see a live-action Miyazaki. That wonder and whimsy that he brings to things, I would love to see something like that.”
So would we and, it seems, we might not be waiting that long for it. “We’re working on the script, and whether it’s the next one or not, it’s hard to say exactly,” Ball added. “But certainly the plan is, after Apes is done, to have a little bit of a rest for a moment, and then dive into [Zelda] and hopefully give fans what they’re hoping for, and also invite new people in. I think Nintendo’s desire is to introduce people to this world that’s been around for 40 years now.”
Ball is saying all the right things here. He’s a fan with a passion for the franchise. He knows what the franchise means not just to fans, but to Nintendo as a brand. And he knows that the film has to capture a very specific tone to truly be a Legend of Zelda movie. This is all exactly what we want to hear. But, also, Ball probably knows that. The task is so daunting, for him to hit that bullseye would take damn near a miracle. But, as Zelda fans know, miracles can happen.
Plus, also, all jokes aside, the Maze Runner movies are better than they should be. I’m more worried about Derek Connolly writing the screenplay. His Jurassic World movies are not better than they should be.
Read more from Ball, including the idea behind that viral Zelda tweet, over at Entertainment Weekly.
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