One thing we have come to terms with in the gaming industry is that almost every rumor turns out to be true. After the monster success of Super Mario Bros., reports have it that Universal Studio and Illumination are close to sealing a “big deal” with Nintendo that will bring the Legend of Zelda movie to the big screen.
The news was first disclosed by movie critic Jeff Sneider. Speaking at The Hot Mic Podcast, Sneider said the news should not come as a surprise.
“I don’t think what I’m about to say is a huge surprise… Zelda is looking like the next big Illumination and Nintendo franchise,” Sneider said.
The collaboration is expected to cost Universal Studios a fortune. Critics attribute it to the success of the Super Mario Bros. movie which has grossed over $1.3 billion globally since its release in April. That figure has made it the highest-grossing and biggest video game movie adaptation of all time.
“Nintendo kind of knows its worth at this point. I’m told that is now going to be a reality,” Sneider said.
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Fans that can’t wait for the Legend of Zelda movie are already ahead of themselves, listing out the likely cast of the movie. Some suggested that Goron be voiced by Dwayne Johnson while others believe Adam Sandler will be a great voice actor for Gannon.
In May, Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi—Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom producer and director respectively—confirmed their interest in the idea of having a Legend of Zelda movie adaptation. However, Aonuma reminded fans that, “It’s not just me being interested in something that makes things happen, unfortunately”.
Legend of Zelda movie may face a unique problem as Super Mario Bros.
Arguably the biggest problem critics had with the Super Mario Bros. movie was Chris Pratt’s Brooklyn accent. It is likely that the Legend of Zelda movie adaptation will face a similar problem. Since Nintendo games are not like every other game, getting the right voice cast is often a challenge.
In the case of the Legend of Zelda movie adaptation, giving Link a voice at all may seem controversial considering the fact that the character doesn’t talk at all in the game. At best, Link gasps, grunts, and yells and has no actual dialogue.
Unlike in the case of Super Mario Bros. where the character is known for his Italian accent, giving Link a voice in the Legend of Zelda movie adaptation will definitely be a new experience for the fans of the game. Will they accept or reject it? Another unique problem that Universal and Illumination will have to deal with if they give Link a voice will be deciding the accent.
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In the 30-year history of the Zelda franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first time the game featured voice actors rather than just text dialogues. This trend continued into the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Some characters including Princess Zelda were given a voice, but Link retained his grunts.
Fans have embraced Link’s grunts and quirks. In fact, there are hundreds of memes and parody videos that humor Link’s communication with the citizens of Hyrule through grunts and body language. Fans may be furious if Link’s silence is violated.
There is a huge chance that Link would be given a voice in the Legend of Zelda movie adaptation because it will be hard for them to pull off an adaptation where the lead character says nothing. Therefore, Universal will have to make the tough choice of whether to give Link a voice or not. Even if they decide to do so, the next challenge would be finding the perfect voice actor.
The Legend of Zelda movie adaptation will need a different approach
With the success of Super Mario Bros., it is easy to believe that any other Nintendo video game adaptation would be an instant hit. However, that is unlikely going to be the case. The simple reason is that Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda are two different games entirely.
In fact, Super Mario Bros. alone felt empty for a sensible movie adaptation. Universal and Illumination had to dig into other games from the developer like Donkey Kong to create the billion-dollar adaptation.
The Legend of Zelda movie adaptation, on the other hand, will be a lot more different and will likely not need to borrow other games to make complete sense. This is because The Legend of Zelda has a vast world that provides adequate content for a movie adaptation.
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Also, Super Mario Bros. has enjoyed a vast number of movie adaptations over time. This gave Illumination and Universal Studio enough data to really decided what will work and what wouldn’t. On the other hand, the only Legend of Zelda movie adaptation in history was a short-lived animated series.
Nevertheless, we believe that with the wealth of experience and resources that Illumination and Universal have under their belt, they should be able to prove that the Super Mario Bros. movie’s success was not a fluke.
Are you excited about seeing a Legend of Zelda movie adaptation or do you think it is one of those games that should be left alone? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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