Castlevania producer, Adi Shankar, has announced a new project via an Instagram post earlier today and many are guessing it’s going to be a TV adaptation based on the popular Nintendo franchise, The Legend of Zelda.
[jwplayer sKZZk6x3]
The post says that he’ll be “working with an iconic Japanese gaming company to adapt one of their iconic video game series into a series,” which of course sounds like it could be Nintendo, but nothing has been confirmed at this stage. According to the post, which you can see below, Shankar will be announcing the news officially on the 16th of November (which will make it the 17th here).
“The success of Castlevania created this opportunity,” the caption says, which, to me, hints that Netflix is probably on board with the project as they were with Castlevania.
According to The Wrap, it’s definitely going to be a Zelda series, but they haven’t listed any sources to back that up, so I wouldn’t say it’s a sure thing just yet. They also reached out to Nintendo who said they “have nothing to announce on this topic,” so do with that what you will.
Shankar has been the executive producer for Netflix’s Castlevania series, which has received decent reviews as far as a video game to TV adaptation is concerned. It’s unsure whether a similar project for the Zelda series would take a similar animated route, but it would probably make the most sense.
It wouldn’t be the first time Link has made it to the small screen, either. There was a Legend of Zelda cartoon released in the late 80s which, for the most part, was, uh, not very good. Also, it featured a horny Link who acted more like a Ninja Turtle than a hero of Hyrule. You can see a glimpse of it for yourself below.
The last time rumours of a Zelda TV series emerged, it was in 2015 when the Wall Street Journal spilt the beans on a Netflix live-action adaptation, but nothing has been heard since.
Long-time fans of the series will be anxious at the thought of any kind of TV/movie adaption of The Legend of Zelda, mainly because giving a voice to a character who’s been voiceless for 30 years can completely change how they’re perceived. Link has always been who you wanted him to be, and giving him a personality beyond that kills the fantasy. That being said, a show based around the lore of Hyrule featuring different characters could be cool, but it’s so hard to say.
Either way, we’ll know more in a few weeks.
