Nintendo Shuts Down Live-Action Legend of Zelda Fan Film: Fans Outraged!

Last month, Chris Carpenter, a filmmaker and actor, initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund a Legend of Zelda fan-made film. The campaign managed to gather around $24,000 and gained considerable attention, including that of Nintendo itself. Unfortunately, this attention led to the suspension of the Kickstarter campaign, and the project was ultimately cancelled.

On the campaign’s Kickstarter page, film producer Dio Traverso announced the closure of the project, stating that no funds would be collected. Traverso expressed gratitude towards the supporters of the film on behalf of Carpenter and the entire production team.

Carpenter was set to portray Link, with Avi Lake from A Series of Unfortunate Events slated to play Princess Zelda. The fan film, titled Lost in Hyrule, was intended to follow the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, aiming to conclude that particular saga of Link’s journey.

Nintendo, known for its aggressive legal actions to protect its intellectual property, has previously pursued various entities, including a supermarket in Costa Rica that used the name Super Mario. Given this history, it’s likely that Nintendo would have challenged the fan film even if it had reached completion. The publicity from the Kickstarter campaign probably accelerated Nintendo’s decision to intervene legally.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is collaborating with Sony Pictures on an official live-action Legend of Zelda movie, with Wes Ball (known for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) as the director since 2023. However, there have been no significant updates regarding this official adaptation since its announcement.