Daily Debate: Who Would Be Your Ideal Director For a Zelda Movie?

When it comes to the discussion of whether certain video games should be adapted into feature films, The Legend of Zelda is often among the first suggestions. Its dense mythology, iconic music, and memorable characters lend themselves to a big-screen interpretation. And with plans for an animated Super Mario Bros. movie already underway, it might just be a matter of time until Nintendo moves forward on bringing Hyrule to the cinema.

A film is only as good as its director, though. Despite being relatively faithful to its source material as far as video game movies go, 2016’s Warcraft dropped the ball when it came to many of the essentials of quality filmmaking. Duncan Jones is a gifted director, but I think his priorities with Warcraft were misplaced. Storytelling and character work should always take precedence over whether the film adheres 100% to the events of the game on which it’s based.

I’m sure there are many directors out there who could put together a great Zelda movie, but there’s one in particular who I’d love to see at the helm. If you’d asked me who to pick a decade or so ago, I would’ve immediately screamed “Peter Jackson!” His Lord of the Rings trilogy still stands among my top ten favorite films, capturing the spirit of adventure that a Zelda film calls for. However, my concern is that a Jackson-helmed Zelda flick would be too iterative or stylistically similar to his work on Rings and his more recent Hobbit trilogy. I’d rather see Hyrule brought to life by a director who has proven himself within the realm of genre filmmaking, but who hasn’t tackled a full-fledged, sword-and-shield fantasy epic before. If it were up to me, I’d hire the one — the only — Guillermo del Toro.

Not only would his knack for the bizarre complement the more otherworldly aspects of Link’s adventures, but he also approaches his material with a refreshing degree of earnestness. Although they aren’t based on video games, his Hellboy flicks feel as if they’re made with a gamer’s sensibilities — a gamer who still understands that he’s making a movie first and foremost. There’s just a sense of progression to many of his films that evokes feelings similar to when I’m playing through a Zelda dungeon.

When del Toro was announced as The Hobbit’s original director, I was so excited to see his signature visual style and brand of storytelling applied to Tolkien’s universe. However, due to the project’s seemingly countless number of delays, he stepped away to direct the brilliant Pacific Rim. That movie fearlessly and wholeheartedly embraces its mecha anime roots and features virtually none of the cynicism found in many of today’s Hollywood blockbusters (something that its sequel, which was not directed by del Toro, failed to achieve). For my money, he has the best chance of delivering a Zelda movie that not only captures the whimsical, adventurous spirit of the series, but also stands as an immensely entertaining film in its own right.

What do you think, though? Who would you like to see in the director’s chair? Let us know in the comments below!

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