Zelda movie director says he wants it to be ‘serious and cool, but fun and whimsical’

The Legend of Zelda movie director Wes Ball has outlined his vision for the upcoming Nintendo adaptation.

Speaking in the newest issue of Total Film (viaGamesRadar) Ball said: “I’ve been thinking about it for a long freakin’ time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be… I want to fulfill people’s greatest desires.

“I know it’s important, this (Zelda) franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape.”

It was announced in November that the film will be helmed by Wes Ball, the director behind the Maze Runner trilogy and next year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

He continued: “I want to try to create – it’s got to feel like something real. Something serious and cool, but fun and whimsical.”

Previously, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ball said his vision for the movie is inspired by the work of Studio Ghibli co-founder and Spirited Away director Hayao Miyazaki.

He told the publication he sees the Zelda film as “this awesome fantasy-adventure movie that isn’t like Lord of the Rings, it’s its own thing. I’ve always said, I would love to see a live-action Miyazaki. That wonder and whimsy that he brings to things, I would love to see something like that.”

The Legend of Zelda movie will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment and co-produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions.

Serving as producers are Shigeru Miyamoto, representative director and fellow of Nintendo, and veteran Hollywood producer Avi Arad, the former chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment.