There have been plenty of conversations on the internet surrounding the possibility of The Legend of Zelda video game franchise being adapted into a live-action television series, much in the same vein as the upcoming HBO series The Last of Us. Fans of the storied franchise have been calling for streaming services and premiere distributors to sign off on such a project, and all of the attention this conversation has stirred up has people unfamiliar with the games asking, “What’s the big deal?”

Here, we are going to go over key factors as to why Legend of Zelda would make for an incredible series, specifically as a live-action show, seeing as we already received an animated treatment back in 1989. We will be covering points about the characters, the timeline of events (or timelines, as it were), and the archetypes that can be discovered throughout the franchise’s 35-year history.

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Built-in Fanbase

     Nintendo

As previously discussed, there are already a number of people calling for this project to be made. Dating back to the original game on the NES game console, people became enamored with the tale of a young Link venturing on a quest to save Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule from the evil tyrant Ganondorf.

While there would surely be plenty of questions about the world viewers would find themselves becoming immersed in, they can turn to the large number of gaming fans who have been seeped into the lore for years. Whether it be questions about the Triforce, the moniker “Hero of Time,” or the confusion as to which character is named Zelda, there will be plenty of gaming fans eager to help introduce new fans to the lore and give them reasons to fire up the Nintendo Switch.

A Formula To Pull From

With all those years of established lore, a series adaptation would have no shortage of material to pull from. The series could even potentially take on an anthological style, with each season covering a different game, jumping between alternate timelines, and exploring new realms of Hyrule. The way that Legend of Zelda pulls this off is that despite having different iterations, most of the games follow the same formula, with a few exceptions.

Link is the young hero who would wake up from a slumber to discover the kingdom in ruins, and the princess, Zelda, having been kidnapped or hurt in some shape or form by Ganondorf. Ganon faces the most changes depending on the iteration, sometimes appearing humanoid, sometimes appearing as a shapeshifting monster, and in more recent iterations as an all-powerful force of nature. With these different characterizations, a live-action series could fuel different seasons for a long run on television or streaming.

Strong Characters

While Link is often depicted as the silent hero, his actions tend to shine through. Link has a vast array of skills, proving to be capable with a multitude of weapons, including the bow and arrow, a boomerang, explosives, shields, and most importantly, using a sword. Add in his many forms of travel (horseback, boat, train, machines capable of flight,) and Link, the man of action, proves to be a unique character to follow on this journey.

Zelda is a strong character in herself. In recent iterations, the character has been allowed to grow past the damsel-in-distress archetype and display inspirational leadership for her people as well as a determined nature, such as when she disguised herself as Sheik, a mysterious figure that would often help Link in his quest. Ganon would also grow to be more than a two-dimensional character, with his arc often centering around a young man who had grown disillusioned with the ways of his people and sought power so that he could rule Hyrule and lead them toward his own vision.

Epic Battles

No matter what generation a Legend of Zelda game comes from, there are always fun battles to come. Many people are still raving about such monsters as Argorok (from Twilight Princess), Koloktos (from Skyward Sword), and Helmasaur King (from A Link to the Past). Getting to see these creatures appear on-screen as Link uses his clever mind and his expert use of weaponry would leave audiences agape with nostalgia.

All of this would build up as Link aims to take Ganon down in what would be an adaptation of one of the many epic battles Link and Ganon have had throughout their prophesied lives. Looking back at their most recent encounter in Breath of the Wild, imagining this multi-stage battle being redone in a television adaptation leaves one to wonder what sort of approach a live-action adaptation would take. Perhaps the team could elect to go the route HBO’s Game of Thrones had taken and feature the battle in a special episode with a longer runtime. Or the team could look towards their anime counterparts and elect to break the fight up over the course of multiple episodes, similar to how the contests are in stages for the games. Either way, seeing these battles appropriately done on the small screen would make for an epic conclusion to any adaptation.