For years, there has been much discussion about The Legend of Zelda getting its own television series. Considering that the long-running video game franchise has amassed a significantly large and loyal following over the past few decades, such an enterprise, if executed correctly, could be a game-changer for the fantasy genre. The closest fans have ever gotten to having their wishes granted was when Netflix announced a live-action series back in 2015. The project had already been in early development when the news was leaked; however, Nintendo swiftly came in and shut down the production, seemingly ending all hopes for any possible future adapatations.
However, the Japanese company has will be venturing into the world of film and television sometime in the near future. Currently, it has greenlighted a standalone Super Mario film which is now in the works, and even Shuntaro Furukawa, the president of Nintendo himself, promised that animation is something that they are "looking into," and not just for the Super Mario franchise. With that in mind, there's a chance that The Legend of Zelda television series could happen, and still under the wing of Netflix too.
During a recent interview with Zelda Dungeon, David Howe, the editor from Powerhouse Animation who worked on Netflix's Castlevania television series, gave his thoughts on how a Zelda adaptation could be brought to the small screen. When asked about the likelihood of such a project being greenlighted, Howe noted that a precedent for it already exists in the form of a serialized manga, so an anime would naturally be the next step: "If something works in a manga format, then it would work in an anime."
Additionally, Howe said a lot of animators would be thrilled to take on a Zelda project given its popularity and recognizable story. As much as a live-action version would have been great to have, he still thinks the adaptation should be an anime since there is so much they can do in terms of world-building. Some live-action versions of popular franchises have failed in the past due to tacky CGI, so that should be a huge consideration to keep in mind.
Of course, nothing has been officially announced by Nintendo or Netflix as of yet, so all of this is just wishful thinking at the moment. Still, given that the streaming giant is on a mission to add more animated titles to its library, a Zelda television series could still be on its radar - it all depends on how well it can able to convince Nintendo to get on board.
Howe's Castlevania is now streaming on Netflix.
Source: Zelda Dungeon/YouTube