Update []: A couple of weeks back, we took a look at ‘Lost in Hyrule’, a live-action Zelda fan film which had begun to accept donations on Kickstarter. Two weeks on, the project has been shut down by Nintendo, with the trailer removed and no funds collected.
It was a possibility that the team was always braced for. “This is Nintendo’s IP and if they decide to halt our production, we will”, a statement read on the Kickstarter’s FAQ section, but with almost $24,000 pledged of the project’s $30,000 target, it’s a shame to see it bite the dust, nonetheless.
In an update on the project’s Kickstarter page, producer Dio Traverso thanked “everyone who believed in and supported this project”, confirming that no funds will be gathered, nor will any rewards be distributed.
Hey y’all – we just got the unfortunate news that we need to shut down the Kickstarter campaign. On behalf of Chris and I, we want to thank everyone who believed in and supported this project. Since we’re ending the campaign early, no funds will be gathered and unfortunately we won’t be able to fulfill any rewards.
Thanks so much!
Dio Traverso
We have also reached out to the project’s director and star, Chris Carpenter, for a comment on the cancellation.
Aside from using the renowned IP, we have to assume that Nintendo took an interest in the project while it continued to work on its own live-action Zelda movie, about which we have heard very little since it was formally announced back in November 2023.
Original Story: Production on Nintendo and Sony’s live-action Legend of Zelda film is presumably ticking away behind closed doors, but in the meantime, a group of fans are undertaking the challenge of bringing Hyrule to life themselves.
Above, you’ll find the first teaser trailer for ‘Lost in Hyrule’, an upcoming live-action fan film which has just opened its doors to Rupee donations on Kickstarter (or other, non-Hylian currencies, if you’d rather). According to the campaign page, the story takes place after the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, offering the filmmaker’s take on “the untold conclusion to the Hero of Time’s saga”. Mmm, lore.
Director Chris Carpenter will also handle the role of Link, while Princess Zelda, “a driving force in this film”, will be played by A Series of Unfortunate Events‘ Avi Lake.
The project is setting out to raise $30,000 through Kickstarter (around £24,000), with 100% of the funds raised going into the film. At the time of writing, it is currently around a third of the way to its goal, with another 31 days left until things wrap up on 21st February.
Now, let’s address the Mario-shaped elephant in the room. The Kickstarter page specifies that the project is not affiliated with Nintendo or the official upcoming live-action movie, pledging to “comply with the wishes of Nintendo, Sony Pictures, or Arad Productions”, should any of the big boys get involved.
If things progress without any legal issues, however, then the project intends to wrap up its fundraising campaign next month before shooting in April and releasing in Fall 2025 — that’s quite the turnaround! Alongside the above teaser trailer, the production team has also released a ‘pitch’ video explaining the project and teeing up some of the story beats we can expect (hello, Child Link).
It’s certainly an ambitious project, but looking at the footage so far, it’s fair to say that the heart (container) is in the right place. We’ll keep an eye out over the coming months to see how this one progresses. Heck, we already know more about it than Nintendo and Sony’s upcoming take…