‘I don’t know where that came from,’ Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri said in an interview.
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The CEO of Universal’s Illumination isn’t sure where the rumors about a collaboration with Nintendo on a Legend of Zelda movie came from, according to an interview he gave to TheWrap. Entertainment reporter Jeff Sneider reported last week that Universal was nearing a “big deal” with Nintendo on a Zelda film, and although Nintendo and Universal’s Illumination partnered on The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri didn’t confirm that’s happening.
“I don’t know where that came from,” Meledandri said to TheWrap about the Zelda rumor. “I mean I can understand how people would surmise all sorts of things because obviously, we’ve had a great experience working together. My relationship with Nintendo now includes being on their board of directors, so I understand how people can surmise these things. But in terms of the specifics, that was just something that I’ve been hearing lots of reports. This is just about what’s next between Nintendo and Illumination.”
That statement, to me, doesn’t read as a firm denial that some kind of deal isn’t happening. And Sneider is standing by his reporting: “Universal is getting the rights. Illumination came up in the convo as a natural fit,” he tweeted on Thursday.
But a deal between the two entertainment giants for Zelda does make some sense. The Super Mario Bros. Movie has already earned more than $1 billion at the box office, so Nintendo is probably interested in finding ways to bring more of its properties to the big screen. (It does have a whole subsidiary called Nintendo Pictures, after all.) The Zelda franchise is also at a high, given the massive success of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so I can understand why Nintendo might be working on a big-screen adaptation of the series. And as Meledandri said in his quote to TheWrap, he’s on Nintendo’s board of directors, so he’s well-positioned to make a pitch for Universal to handle a Zelda film.
We’ll have to wait and see if a deal for Zelda between Nintendo and Universal actually pans out. In the meantime, I’m sure Nintendo and Universal would be happy if you bought The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Blu-ray.
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