File this one under “oh please oh please let this be true.” According to the Wall Street Journal, Netflix and Nintendo are currently collaborating on a live action Legend of Zelda series. If I weren’t already a Netflix subscriber, I would be throwing wads of cash at my screen right this very second.
UPDATE: It seems my excitement got ahead of my sense, the sourced WSJ article is quite old. We weren’t the only ones that were duped, but we were, in fact, duped. We can always hope though, right?
While still in the very earliest of stages, “sources familiar with the matter” claim that this will be an episodic show, and said the scope would be to make something akin to Game of Thrones in tone, except suitable for the whole family. Netflix is currently looking for writers for the series.
The Legend of Zelda follows an ordinary boy named Link who must rescue the titular Princess Zelda and save their world of Hyrule from evil. The game series is one of the most popular of all time, and the release of a new Zelda game will often sell a significant number of consoles for Nintendo.
The game series has always featured fighting and magic (and pot smashing, lots and lots of pot smashing), but usually in a more lighthearted, cartoonish manner. I’d imagine that any live action show for the series would have to include the same type of action (especially the pot smashing), though absolutely without the same types of blood, gore, and violence that would be seen in similar fantasy shows such as Game of Thrones and others.
This wouldn’t be the first foray into television for the game, as a Legend of Zelda animated series ran for just one season back in 1989. Nintendo is generally very protective of its intellectual property, and does not often allow adaptations by outside parties. In this instance, Nintendo and Netflix are said to be working very closely on this project, which does not surprise me at all. Hopefully Nintendo is comfortable with the level of quality that Netflix has already exhibited with their Netflix Originals, and their partnership with Marvel, and they stay the course. It is definitely possible at this point that either side could back out and the project could die.
For what it’s worth, Netflix declined to comment, and Nintendo said the company does not comment on rumors and speculation. Pretty common responses though, really.
Would you watch a live action Legend of Zelda series on Netflix? Tell us what you think in the comment section below, or on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.
[button link=”http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/02/06/legend-of-zelda-netflix-series/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: The Wall Street Journal[/button]Last Updated on January 3, 2017.
