Movie

Nintendo looks like they’re making moves to become the Marvel of video game movies. Or, at the very least, team up with a big studio to take some beloved characters off your TV and on to the big screen. The video game giant might not have the best-selling titles any more, but it certainly has the best-known characters and franchises, as well as family-friendly appeal that you find from the likes of Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty.

And recent moves suggest that Nintendo is doing just that. Although the Japanese company was quick to deny the rumors of a live-action Zelda series for Netflix, they have taken many steps in the past months to suggest that they’re going to get into the moviemaking business. They recently partnered with Universal to make “immersive experiences” and major attractions for its two U.S. theme parks. It’s likely that if Nintendo was going to get into the movie-making business, they would need some help. So Universal could partner up with them the same way we’ve seen DC and Warner Bros partner up.

Nintendo’s track record so far with moviemaking has been limited to a panned Super Mario Bros. film in the mid-90s. In the 20 years that have passed since its release, there’s now a not only a huge current audience for Nintendo’s characters and story due to recent installments of Mario Kart, Zelda, and Super Smash Bros., but also a big nostalgic audience as well.

Many fans and speculators have been guessing as to whether Zelda, Mario Bros., or Metroid should be first up on Nintendo’s hit list for movie franchises, and iconic game designer Shigeru Miyamoto says that moving into live-action films is in the cards:

Miyamoto said Nintendo is open for movie adaptions. Dawggg, we might finally get a Legend of Zelda or Metroid movie

— Seph (@JmoneyCol)

Zelda‘s the clear choice for franchise potential, as it’s got action, a rich story, and very familiar faces. However, it’s easy to see why Nintendo would take its time there, since another flop two decades after Super Mario Bros. would probably put any future film plans on ice. And while their denial of a Netflix series could be interpreted as reluctance, it’s more likely that they wouldn’t want to squander the potential of Zelda on a Netflix series. It would be like Marvel putting Spider-Man on ABC instead of in its own film franchise.

For decades, video game fans have been clamoring for a Zelda movie, even going so far as to create their own trailers for one, since Nintendo hasn’t been in a hurry to. Here’s one to give you an idea, though I’d like to think that the production values would be a little higher on an official trailer:

Nintendo is being very quiet about developments here, but given the trajectory of things, I would expect to hear more progress on this by year’s end.