‘I could never even hope to have the chance’: Almost 14 years after putting it into the world, ‘The Legend of Zelda’ director lives the dream

Following the $1.3 billion success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie – which comfortably annihilated the record for highest-grossing video game adaptation in history by earning over three times more than the previous record-holder – it was inevitable that Nintendo’s back catalogue would suddenly become a prized property, so there was no surprise when a live-action Legend of Zelda was announced.

Naturally, there’s already widespread skepticism at the prospect considering the notoriously cack-handed Sony is steering the ship with merchandise-mad producer Avi Arad heavily involved, but we can at least breathe a sigh of relief knowing director Wes Ball is a die-hard fan of the legendary console saga.

In fact, almost 14 years ago, the filmmaker took to social media and outlined his hopes and dreams to be the person to bring The Legend of Zelda to life as a blockbuster feature film, with his manifestation finally paying off in spectacular style.

Although his feature-length filmography to date is comprised only of The Maze Runner trilogy and incoming sequel Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Ball has showcased his ability at crafting richly-realized worlds, handling expansive action sequences, and tackling established properties that manage to win over both new audiences and established supporters.

That’s not to say The Legend of Zelda is guaranteed to avoid the video game curse that’s dogged the genre for 30 years and counting, but it’s definitely worth the tiniest sliver of optimism, regardless of Sony, Arad, and a Jurassic World writer being attached as well.