Small Council: They’re making a live-action Legend of Zelda movie! Thoughts?

Sony and Nintendo are teaming up to make a make a live-action movie based on The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo’s decades-old video game franchise. What do we think?

DAN: This was inevitable. Earlier this year, The Super Mario Bros. Movie made over a billion dollars at the box office. On HBO, The Last of Us was both hugely popular and critically acclaimed. Even the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie turned a huge profit. The writing has been on the wall for awhile: video game adaptations are the next big thing in Hollywood. Superheroes, you can show yourself out.

And as video game adaptations get classier and more profitable, room must be made for one of the oldest and most…ahem…legendary: The Legend of Zelda, which dates back to 1986, needs to be made into a movie. The only surprise is that it took this long.

But what am I saying? It took this long because Nintendo jealously guards its intellectual property and only expands if it’s dead sure that it has a hit on its hands. That it’s surrendering The Legend of Zelda to a movie studio is proof that things are changing.

As for the movie itself, I will gladly watch a live-action version of a series I’ve played and loved for years. Is anyone else surprised they went with live-action? That tells me the movie will have more of a serious tone than, say, The Super Mario Bros. movie. Will they “adapt” one of the individual games or just kind of mash the myths together for one archetypal adventure? Who will play Link and Zelda and Ganondorf?

How are you guys feeling about? Are you more excited are nervous? Any things you particularly want to see, or don’t want to see?

CAM: Do you hear that faint “Hey! Listen!” in the background? Oh, just me?

Well… this is definitely interesting. The first thing that came to mind was that hilarious “excuse me, Princess” video, the one from that horrible cartoon adaptation of the very same game we’re about to see come to life.

As a relatively long-time fan of The Legend of Zelda franchise and mom to a beautiful pup named Zelda, I am equal parts excited and mortified. Excited because we get a Zelda movie! Finally! It’s about time! Even Sonic the Hedgehog got an amazing adaptation. It’s time. Mortified because… this is The Legend of Zelda we’re talking about here. Not only is this an ancient fandom with lore that must be protected at all costs, but thinking about seeing a live-action adaptation of some of the things we love so much about it — distinct characters, locations, even animations — makes me incredibly nervous. The mannerisms, the nuances that make these characters so recognizable; will the movie do the series justice?

But… I have the One Piece bug. We had the best live-action adaptation of an anime behemoth ever this year. Why can’t we have the ultimate live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda as well? Nintendo is involved, which means we can probably relax when it comes to keeping things congruent with the video games and their lore.

But…. will Link talk? Or are we doomed to hear nothing from him except HYAH! UGH! AAH! like we’ve grown so painfully used to? Will Navi be in this? Midna? I need more details. Or, if they exist, I need to read said details.

DANIEL: I have to just echo you both and say that I’m so excited at the prospect of a Legend of Zelda movie…which is actually kind of an unexpected surprise? In the past I’ve usually given game adaptations the side-eye because we’ve all lived through so many middling ones. But that perception has shifted enough at this point that my gut reaction is much more positive than it was back in, say, 2015, when Netflix’s now-abandoned Zelda show was announced. Of course, having Nintendo be fully on board with the production is a big part of what sets me so at ease.

The fact that this is a live-action movie also surprised me. Given the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I expected Nintendo to lean into more animated films with whatever it pursued next. But the idea of The Legend of Zelda in live-action holds a lot of promise. I keep thinking of the 1985 movie Legend, which was a dark fairy tale that has exactly the sort of vibe I’d hope for in a live-action Legend of Zelda movie. I’m not saying they should cast Tim Curry as Ganon…but I’m not not saying it either.

Something I’m loving about The Legend of Zelda announcement is how it’s bringing out so much joy in people. Zelda has meant so much to fans for decades, and it’s amazing to hear about things like how Camila’s dog is named after the Hyrulian princess or how Dan’s been playing it for many years. My first date with my now-wife was going to a Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess concert, where the franchise’s iconic music was played by an orchestra while scenes from the games were projected onto a huge screen above. This series holds a special place in a lot of fans’ hearts, which makes it feel like if Nintendo can pull off this live-action movie, it could be something equally special.

I do have plenty of questions of course. Will Link talk? Will it adapt a specific game or do a brand new story? (I’m hoping for the latter.) Will pots be smashed and will there be Koroks? But for now, I’m content to just bask in the excitement.

How do you feel about The Legend of Zelda movie?

Also sound off in the comments!

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels