Zelda movie director's canceled film could offer a hint at the vision for the live-action adaptation

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Wes Ball was directing a Mouse Guard movie – but it was scrapped

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
(Image credit: Nintendo)

A live-action Legend of Zelda movie is on the way from director Wes Ball – and, thanks to his scrapped Mouse Guard movie, we might have an idea what it could look like. 

As first pointed out by Discussing Film, the previz work for Mouse Guard could be a clue to Ball's vision for Zelda. After the film was scrapped, Ball released around nine minutes of test footage online. The footage showcases beautiful, nature-heavy scenes – though with the caveat that the previz is intended as a demonstration of how the film would "feel," not how it would look exactly, as Ball prefaces the video. Check it out below. 

Mouse Guard ended up a casualty of Disney's merger with 20th Century Fox back in 2019. It's a shame we'll never get to see it when that previz sizzle reel looks so special, but at least we'll be getting Ball's take on Zelda, Link and co. 

Although, one thing to consider is that the Zelda movie will be live-action, while Mouse Guard was going to be motion capture. Still, that doesn't mean the Zelda movie can't look as magical as Mouse Guard. 

"I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films," Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto wrote of the Zelda film on Twitter. "I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it."

While we wait for more Legend of Zelda news, check out our guide to all the upcoming major movie release dates to fill out your watchlist. 

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.