Mario Movie Producer Responds To Zelda Rumors

Amid the rumor that a new animated The Legend of Zelda film could be in development at Illumination, the animation studio's CEO and founder Chris Meledandri has responded to the claims. "I don’t know where that came from," said Meledandri, in reference to the rumor.

"I mean I can understand how people would surmise all sorts of things because obviously, we’ve had a great experience working together," Meledandri told The Wrap in a recent interview, referencing Illumination's collaboration with Nintendo on The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Meledandri is credited as the producer of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, alongside the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto.

The Mario movie, which released in April, went on to become one of the most successful films in recent memory, generating over $500 million in revenue in the United States alone. Worldwide, the film has grossed $1.327 billion, making it a huge success. With that in mind, many have assumed Nintendo will continue collaborating with Illumination on future projects.

"My relationship with Nintendo now includes being on their board of directors, so I understand how people can surmise these things," Meledandri said.

Despite Meledandri's comments, it's still possible an animated Zelda film is in production at Illumination. Meledandri doesn't outright deny the project's existence, so there's still hope left for Link's first adventure on the big screen.