Jordan Vogt-Roberts is currently working on a Metal Gear movie, but he has already spoken about his interest in adapting other video game properties to the big screen, including Nintendo’s vaunted science fiction action series Metroid. However, it looks like he wants to go above and beyond that. In a chat with IGN, he talked about ideas he has to adapt possibly the most beloved franchise in gaming to the silver screen- The Legend of Zelda.
Speaking to IGN, he pointed out that Zelda is not Lord of the Rings, nor any other traditional fantasy story. It, in fact, has a number of quirky elements in it, entirely unlike any other fantasy story. Which is true- unlike other fantasy tales that just appropriate the traditional fantasy setting with the requisite dwarves/elves/men wholesale, Zelda has totally original iconography, imagery, and lore.
“The thing about Zelda is Zelda is not Lord of the Rings, right? You cannot forget how quirky and bizarre Zelda is,” Vogt-Roberts said. “I think you need to find a way to actually fuse the traditional Zelda and the very new Zelda.”
That last segue at the end is him musing on how Zelda has evolved from being a classical high fantasy story to becoming something more resembling a fusion of science fiction and fantasy with the newer games (Breath of the Wild, for instance, includes lasers, AI, fully autonomous combat units, high technology, a tablet, and so on).
“I think you have to find a way to very intensely fuse the pure just sort of fantasy of Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, but then I think you need to find a way to incorporate the newer pseudo-tech stuff — you know, the lasers and Tron lines that happen in the newer games, but in a way that’s not overwhelming.”
He also talked about how he would handle Link, who is famously mute in the games- how do you translate that over into a movie and not have him talk? Well, Vogt-Roberts would want to keep him mute anyway, if he could. “I actually fully think Link should not speak the entire film,” he said. I’ would do a film where he’s a silent protagonist.”
These are some interesting ideas for sure- albeit I am not sure how well they would work, or if a Zelda movie (or even TV show) is even possible. That said, it’s good to see interest in making something like this happen. Who knows, maybe some time in the future, we might see a concerted attempt at a Zelda movie or TV show.
