Nintendo Shuts Down Fan-Made Live-Action Zelda Movie
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Key points
- Fan-made Legend of Zelda movie gets shut down by Nintendo’s cease-and-desist order.
- An official live-action Legend of Zelda movie by a Japanese game giant is in the works.
- Nintendo’s market capitalization is $77.97 billion.
Nintendo has issued a cease-and-desist order, shutting down the fan-made live-action Legend of Zelda movie, Lost in Hyrule, just days after its crowdfunding campaign launched.
The film, which was raising funds on Kickstarter, aimed to bring a new chapter to the Zelda saga, set after the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, promising to follow the untold conclusion of the Hero of Time’s journey.
The Might-have-been director of the fan movie was Chris Carpenter, an actor mostly recognized by the family comedy feature film Hero Mode (2021). Carpenter himself was also supposed to be cast as Link the Hero of Hyrule, the archetypal hero and protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series, partnering with Avi Lake, a star from A Series of Unfortunate Events playing Princess Zelda, a member of the royal family of Hyrule.
The movie’s Kickstarter campaign had a goal of $30,000, with plans to begin shooting in April and release the film by Fall 2025.
In an update on the Kickstarter page, producer Dio Traverso announced the project’s cancellation, explaining that the team was always aware of the possibility of a cease-and-desist order from Nintendo. He expressed his understanding of the situation, thanking the backers for their support and reassuring them that no funds would be collected as the campaign was shut down before reaching its goal.
Nintendo’s decision to shut down Lost in Hyrule comes in the wake of its own official live-action Legend of Zelda movie, which is currently in development with director Wes Ball, known for directing the Maze Runner film trilogy (2014–2018) and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series. The film is produced in collaboration with Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Hollywood producer Avi Arad.
A Japanese game giant with a $77.97 billion market capitalization has a tight grip over its intellectual property and a long history of protecting its assets, including recent legal action against an alleged Switch pirate and a confrontation with Genki during CES and Legal Loss to ‘Super Mario’ Supermarket.
