Grave Gamer News & Views — zelda
Sword of Light by Tom Kelly
Forest Temple by Mei-Xing
Netflix’s Developing a Legend of Zelda Series?Supposed to Be a...
Netflix’s Developing a Legend of Zelda Series?
Supposed to Be a Family Friendly Game of Thrones (May Include Less Incest)
Let me hit you with the “official” news, then we’ll discuss. According to a report over at The Wall Street Journal the world’s premier binge-watching service, Netflix, is in the early stages of creating a live-action series based on The Legend of Zelda.
Reportedly (that’s journalist for “I didn’t say it, so don’t come at me when it’s debunked, bro”), Netflix and Nintendo are working closely together on the series. WSJ takes their claim from an anonymous source in the know that says Netflix wants to strike a tone like “Game of Thrones for a family audience.” Allow your eyes to drink in that statement.
But of course Nintendo and Netflix staunchly refused to comment on the rumor.
Okay. Breathe… Let’s dig in. Game of Thrones for the family?! I can just imagine the pitch meeting where “28-year-old, world famous video game franchise” was met with blank stares from the Netflix suits. But the moment an intern clued them in on Zelda’s fantasy setting, the room lit up like Christmas once those idea bulbs started blinking on over their heads. “We sell it as Games of Thrones for kids! Holy elven shit! Call Ninten-due back! Cut the fucking check and tell ‘em the coke’s on us!”
WSJ has it the core story, as in the games, will be about a boy named Link who’s tasked with saving a princess named Zelda in the fantasy world of Hyrule. While the games sometimes cover darker territory, the majority of the series is light in tone, heavy in adventure. Tonally, it makes more sense to follow in step with adventure-centric fantasy like The Hobbit – and I mean the book, not Peter Jackson’s sword-clashing, orc decapitating action spectacle.
What’s the GoT mention even mean? Will the series chronicle the interpersonal dramas between Hyrule’s ruling family? Will they have bitter rivalries and back-stabbing betrayals? Will huge chunks of the story be dedicated to the struggles and battles of Hyrule’s many denizens and races? Good God, will we hear Link speak?
Without a writer on deck, though, it’s hard to gauge which direction the show could go, no matter what pitch got it off the ground. I’m not against seeing Zelda adapted. It’s actually pretty monumental if this proves true given Nintendo’s burning reluctance to let Hollywood touch their properties ever since the Super Mario Bros. movie spread its cinematic hate onto audiences all the way back in 1993. “Game of Thrones for the family” is a weird starting point for a franchise that already has a significant identity (even if the main character only ever says “Hi-ya!”).
We’ll see how, or if, this one plays out.
[artwork: x]
