Zelda movie director’s vision for the film is a “live-action Miyazaki”

Wes Ball, the director of the upcoming movie based on The Legend of Zelda, has commented on what he’s going for with the film, saying that he’s aiming for “a live-action Miyazaki.” Hayao Miyazaki is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and led the way on acclaimed animated films such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro.

Ball spoke to EW about the project while he oversees postproduction on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. He said his vision is “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.”

Ball went on to talk about his overall passion for Zelda and how he believes it’s “untapped IP.” He told the outlet:

“It’s going to be awesome. My whole life has led up to this moment. I grew up on Zelda and it is the most important property, I think, that’s untapped IP, if you will. So we very much are working hard to do something. We’re not just trying to do it because we can. We want to make something really special.”

Ball indicated that once he’s finished working on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, he’ll move on to Zelda as his next project:

“We’re working on the script, and whether it’s the next one or not, it’s hard to say exactly. But certainly the plan is, after Apes is done, to have a little bit of a rest for a moment, and then dive into [Zelda] and hopefully give fans what they’re hoping for, and also invite new people in. I think Nintendo’s desire is to introduce people to this world that’s been around for 40 years now.”