To say that The Legend Of Zelda is on many people’s minds right now would be an understatement. The franchise has been beloved since it first appeared on Nintendo systems, and when you fast forward to right now, a major addition to the series has just dropped on the Nintendo Switch. A title that’s apparently so good that it’s already a frontrunner for Game of the Year, which is not a title to be thrown around lightly. But, while the gaming side of things is secured, there are questions about whether this series will be the next one to expand to “greater heights.”
What we mean by that is Nintendo has been on a mission for years to try and take their IPs to the general public in ways that might bring them to Nintendo consoles and thus play their games. You’ve already seen certain attempts to make this happen, like with their “mobile initiative” that they did or with the birth of Super Nintendo World in both Japan and America. However, arguably their greatest success is that of the Super Mario Bros Movie.
The film went from being “possibly good” before it arrived in theaters to becoming a billion-dollar-making film. One so popular that it’s already sent ripple effects throughout Nintendo’s world, according to President Shuntaro Furukawa.
But could The Legend of Zelda be the next one to get the film treatment? In an interview with Polygon, series producer Eiji Aonuma said that this is something he would be “interested in”:
“I have to say, I am interested. For sure. But it’s not just me being interested in something that makes things happen, unfortunately.”
That may be true, but his word carries weight, especially given the success the franchise has undergone with him as the guiding light for the games.
But, unlike with Mario, if Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, and others were to transition to the big screen or be a TV series, there would need to be some big questions asked.
The biggest one is how they would handle Link. Canonically, he doesn’t talk. Or, at the very least, we never hear his voice outside of screams when he’s hurt or shouts when he attacks. It’s implied that he does conversate with people, but not through spoken word. That would be hard to translate into a movie.
Second, they would need to make the world feel more fantastical than what Mario had in his movie. That means they might not get to use Illumination to make a movie or show.
The possibility is there if Nintendo wants to try it.
