Which Link Will The 'Zelda' Movie Focus On?
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Nintendo is bringing The Legend of Zelda to the big screen. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play Link, and Bo Bragson will play Zelda. The film will be released in theaters on May 7, 2027, and that is the extent of details Nintendo has shared about the film. The Zelda games tell a variety of stories over eons, and although each game includes some version of Link, Zelda, and Ganon, they are reincarnations with the same name rather than the same character. So, which Link will Nintendo cover in the film? Let’s start with the obvious choice.
Ocarina Of Time
Ocarina of Time is arguably the most iconic Zelda game. It brought Link from 2D sprites to 3D polygons and told a compelling story. This Link, known as the Hero of Time, is brought to the Kokiri Forest for the Great Deku Tree’s protection. Monsters invade the sacred ground, so Link heads to Hyrule Castle for help. He and Princess Zelda team up to gather the spiritual stones and bring them to the Temple of Time. There, he draws the Master Sword and is sealed away for seven years until he’s old enough to take on Ganondorf, the Gerudo King. What follows is a lengthy quest back and forth in time to awaken the sages, find the Triforce, and take down Ganondorf.
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Image Source: WROC
This game lends itself well to a movie because it tells a coherent story, introduces a variety of landscapes, and features a cast of recognizable characters. This is also the game that split the timeline, leading to a confusing attempt by fans and eventually Nintendo to make sense of the branching timelines. Ocarina of Time was also one of the few games to get a direct sequel with Majora’s Mask, featuring the same Link but as a slightly older child rather than a full-grown adult.
A Link To The Past
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Before Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past was the iconic Zelda game. The game gave Link a telepathic connection with that era’s Zelda, and Link traversed both the land of Hyrule and the Dark Realm, which was once the Sacred Realm, in search of sages. The campaign of the game is one of the longest in the series and would have to be significantly cut back to fit into a film. But the iconic status of the game would be a huge draw to fans. There are a few other games that would make great movies.
Wind Waker
Image Source: IGN
Wind Waker is one of the more unique games in the series and sees Link traveling across the Great Sea, which is the result of a flooded Hyrule. While not as iconic as other games, burying Hyrule beneath a vast sea lends itself well to mystery. However, the action genre is already oversaturated with adventure on the high seas. The game itself received mixed reactions, with some players calling it too much of a cartoon, indicating it’s not a great fit for a live-action film.
Twilight Princess
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Twilight Princess is a Zelda game with slightly darker themes. The twist to this Link is that he’s cursed by Twilight Emperor Zant and gains the ability to turn into a wolf. The game sees Link work with townsfolk in human form and secretly help out as a wolf. However, the humans view Link’s wolf form as a monster and will either run or try to attack. This Link is paired with a Twilight Imp named Midna, while Zelda plays a crucial role but is in the background for most of the story. Given Nintendo’s current focus on Link and Zelda, this is likely not a story they’ll tell in their first film.
Breath Of The Wild / Tears Of The Kingdom
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Nintendo could choose to focus on its most recent properties and tell the stories of Link and Zelda in the two open-world games Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The former game sees the wreckage of a world that was prepared for war with guardian robots that turned against them, while the latter game is a continuation of that story with the introduction of time travel and a deeper dive into dragon lore. The open world format of the games makes it difficult to tell a coherent story and still have the mystery and mythology unfold organically. However, the movie could start from the beginning of this Link’s incarnation and show what caused the knight to stop talking. Since this is the only game that explains Link’s silence, it may give Ainsworth more material to work with, but that benefit may not outweigh the challenges of telling this particular story on the big screen.
Between The Games
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Up until now, we’ve been assuming that Nintendo would just recreate one of their games in movie form, but this film allows them to tell stories they’ve always wanted to tell that don’t lend themselves well to games. While Breath of the Wild lends itself well to discovering the happenings of the characters a century before through flavor text and cutscenes, a movie could chronologically tell the story. Perhaps, Nintendo could make a movie showing the actual Great Flood, where the land of Hyrule is submerged. They could also adapt the story of the first Link, not from Skyward Sword, but from a manga that predates it. The manga shows Link and the Goddess Hylia and reveals the moment Hylia becomes Zelda and ensuring that a hero and princess will be born in every era to defeat Ganon.
Since the release date and two cast members playing Link and Zelda are the only information we have, this is all speculation. Nintendo might choose to create a unique story. But if they choose to adapt a game, the iconic status of Ocarina of Time and its shorter length make it the obvious choice.
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Source(s): GamesRadar, Zelda Wiki
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