The live-action The Legend of Zelda movie is still a long way off, but the film's director — The Maze Runner and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball — has finally shared his hopes and thoughts on the film.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly (via Stealth on Twitter), Ball says that he wants his Zelda movie to feel like a "live-action Miyazaki" movie. Ball states that he's a big fan of the Legend of Zelda games and a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, the acclaimed animated director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, whose films include Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and 2023's The Boy and the Heron.
Sharing his vision, he told the publication that he sees the movie as: "this awesome fantasy-adventure movie that isn’t like Lord of the Rings, it’s its own thing." When talking about the Ghibli director, he says that he admires the wonder and whimsy that he brings to things" and hopes to recreate, or at least see that, in his Zelda film. I would love to see something like that."
Ball, who is currently in New Zealand working on post-production of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, also told EW that he hopes his passions for both Zelda and Miyazaki will shine through the final product. And while production on the movie hasn't yet started, Ball has said that "We're working on the script", and that he hopes to move on to the movie after he's done with the Planet of the Apes movie.
The Ghibli and Miyazaki comparisons will hopefully put many fans at ease. Studio Ghibli is often cited as a dream studio to adapt Link's adventures for the big screen, and many fans have taken to recreating the Zelda games in that style.