There have been rumors circulating for a while thatThe Legend of Zeldawould be brought to the screen in some way, and with the recent news that there was alive-actionLegend of ZeldaTV series in the works at Netflixthat was canceled because of leaks, it seems like a definite, near-future possibility that fans could be getting aZeldaadaptation at some point.
However, bringing the epic stories of Hyrule to the screen is easier said than done.Adapting content from a video game into a TV show or movieis a difficult task on its own, but adaptingThe Legend of Zeldaspecifically would be quite the challenge. There are a number of issues that a TV development team would have to work through in order to bringZeldato the screen in a satisfying and believable way.
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Link As a Silent Protagonist
The first issue that the series would have to tackle is the question of how to make a show that revolves arounda protagonist who notoriously never speaks. While that approach works well in a video game because it means that the player can more easily relate and insert themselves into the character, it’s a little less helpful for the main character of a television show.
This could be solved by either eliminating this element completely and having Link speak in the series (which would be the easy choice to make, but might feel a bit jarring for fans of the franchise to watch, as it’s not what they’re used to), or by incorporating the silence into the character. Perhaps Link is physically unable to speak, and must communicate with characters in other ways. This, while a slightly more difficult path, could also bean interesting and unique approach for a TV show to take.
Making Ganon Feel Intimidating
As Ganon, or some version of him,is the villain in a large chunk of theZeldagames, it’s likely that he would be the main big bad of a TV series. The problem with bringing Ganon to the screen is making him look and feel appropriately threatening, without being cheesy. It would be easy for Ganon to feel like a two-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain without any real depth if the TV show characterized him improperly or designed him to look too cartoony.
He can’t look too campy or silly, or else the threat he poses to Hyrule won’t be believable. The show would need to find a way to ground him and make him scary and intimidating, without losing the sense of grandness that surrounds the evil of his character. The series will hinge on how goodit’s three most important characters- Link, Zelda, and Ganon - are, and the main villain of the series needs to feel like the biggest threat possible.
How To Condense Temples Into Episodic TV
One of the most well-known and well-loved elements of theLegend of Zeldagames is the temples. Other thanBreath of the Wild, which doesn’t quite follow the normalZeldastructure, one of the main staples of theZeldagames ismaking your way through dungeon puzzlesand boss fights. If the possible Zelda TV series were to take the more traditional approach and include dungeons, they would need to find a way to work them into the show in a way that feels natural.
Doing a one-dungeon-per-episode approach would feel too tedious and repetitive, so perhaps dungeons could appear in the series mid-season and as a season finale, in order to have the right pacing. A big boss fight would be the perfect season finale if the finale was not to fight Ganon directly (since that seems like more of a series finale kind of fight), and all the episodes in between dungeons could be about other parts of Link’s adventure, like traveling, meeting new characters, and the smaller quests he has to do to complete his goals. They could even include a fewfiller episodes with side quests, as a way to bring in some levity and give a nod to the concept of side quests in video games.
Budget Constraints
BringingThe Legend of Zeldato life is going to require a large budget, and if the one they’re given is not large enough, it might be enough to tank the show. The series needs grand sets, and perhaps a travel budget if they were to shoot on location out in nature. The wardrobe needs to be elaborate and realistic without feeling like Halloween costumes. Perhaps most importantly, the special effects need to be incredible.
With the number of odd creatures, different fantasy races, and battle scenes in the series, aZeldaTV show would need to havea huge special effects budgetin order to make it all feel realistic. If races like the Zora or Gorons look bad (whether it’s due to bad CGI or prosthetics that aren’t up to par, depending on which direction the show decides to take), the show would lose its grounding. The effects need to look realistic, while still retaining that classicZeldafun and whimsy. The show can’t be low budget, because the story demands that everything be grand. Luckily, since this is Nintendo, and becauseZeldais one of their flagship series, hopefully, this isn’t a concern.
Child Link or Adult Link?
One of the main plot points ofOcarina of Timeis that Link, who is at first just a child, needs to travel into the future where he is an adult in order to defeat Ganon. This time travel element comes into play in the other games as well. As the timeline of theZeldagames diverges, some games feature a child Link, while others center arounda slightly more grown-up (or at the very least, teenage)version of the character.
A potential series would have to decide which route to take. Of course, if they were doinga straight adaptation ofOcarina of Time, they would probably use both child and adult Link, but otherwise, they would have to decide what age to have their main character be. Even if they adapt a game where Link is supposed to be a child, will they instead age him up to be a teenager or young adult? It might make his fighting skills a bit more believable if he were older, rather than watching a young child swing a sword around.
Adapting video games into stories that can be told in a TV show or movie is always difficult, and the showrunners for any potential futureLegend of Zeldaseries will certainly have a lot of things to consider if they’re bringing Hyrule to the screen. Hopefully, they’ll be able to make the best story decisions and create something that really honors the original work, and that can be beloved by the fans.
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