Not too long ago, there was a rumor circulating that Illumination and Nintendo were already setting their eyes on the next franchise to adapt. While most assumed we’d be seeing more from Super Mario Bros., the rumor hinted that Nintendo might be hoping to also work with the animation company to adapt one of their other iconic franchises, The Legend of Zelda.
Studio head Chris Meledandri got a chance to denounce the rumors in an interview with The Wrap and offers some insight into why he believes the rumor made the rounds. Mostly his close ties with Nintendo and the success of working on The Super Mario Bros. Movie that people naturally make the assumption that they’d jump into any project they might want to animate.
I don’t know where that came from. 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.
Chris Meledandri
There was some concern that the rumor ended up true. Illumination’s animation style meshed quite well with a character like Mario, whose variety of projects offers them to establish their own take on the character while staying true to the source material. The Legend of Zelda simply wouldn’t mesh well with the way they tackle their projects, even if they’d go with a take inspired by the character’s more chibi designs from the earliest days.
Source: The Wrap
