Zelda Movie In Hollywood
- Thread starter figthersword
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The_man
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You cant take something as epic as 24 years of zelda and throw it on film. It would almost certainly be a huge dissapointment. It does have incredible potentail, but it has to be done just right. If hollywood did it, it would be like Vin Deasle as link with horrible storyline, and nothing would be right at all. A fan would have to do the movie for sure
February Eve
ZD District Attorney
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Does someone here work on the staff of Entertainment Weekly? Kidding, but they just posted a list of "20 Games Begging to Be Made Into Movies" (here's the full list). They did choose a Zelda movie, and the one that they chose was Majora's Mask (here's a link to that pick). Personally, I'd pick a more linear story, but I did find their reasons interesting. Anyway, I figured this was the most logical thread to post that in.
Responding to the original topic...first, I'll pretend for a moment that budget wasn't an issue. Which is a huge assumption, but just as a thought exercise - to me the greatest difficulty after that would be figuring out how to fit a video game that can be played for 30 - 40 hours (depending on the game) can be condensed into a movie. And sure, there are a lot of side quests that could be taken out (golden skulltulas, poe collecting, etc, would probably be addressed but condensed). But even after that, there are still a lot of dungeons in each game. And that's assuming the producers wanted to cover everything. If they did, while each dungeon is pretty unique, the writers, directors, etc. would still have the challenge of deciding how to progress the story through those dungeons so that it's more than "Link solves puzzles and defeats monsters." (Great for the series, not so great for a screenwriter.)
I think the story would have to be split up, but that's also tricky, since several games do have a natural break in the middle (Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess) but the latter half usually has more dungeons than the first, so it's still a bit uneven. A split into three pieces, while it would have nice symbolism, would be fairly unnatural as well, though it would at least probably have enough room to do the story justice.
In the end, I wouldn't make a Zelda movie - but I would absolutely make a Zelda mini-series. There may not be many places to split the stories in halves or thirds, but there are plenty of places to split them into "chapters", so to speak. It would allow for a very faithful retelling - a lot of the little details and characters that we like to see in the game could be included without sacrificing them to plot. More dungeons could be included since they'd be spread throughout the show instead of having to be condensed into a couple of installments. And yes, while commercial breaks would be pretty annoying, if it's produced right, when it would later be released on DVD, it would be just as good as a movie, if not better, since it would most likely be longer.
A mini-series would be definitely be my first choice. Barring that, a trilogy.
Responding to the original topic...first, I'll pretend for a moment that budget wasn't an issue. Which is a huge assumption, but just as a thought exercise - to me the greatest difficulty after that would be figuring out how to fit a video game that can be played for 30 - 40 hours (depending on the game) can be condensed into a movie. And sure, there are a lot of side quests that could be taken out (golden skulltulas, poe collecting, etc, would probably be addressed but condensed). But even after that, there are still a lot of dungeons in each game. And that's assuming the producers wanted to cover everything. If they did, while each dungeon is pretty unique, the writers, directors, etc. would still have the challenge of deciding how to progress the story through those dungeons so that it's more than "Link solves puzzles and defeats monsters." (Great for the series, not so great for a screenwriter.)
I think the story would have to be split up, but that's also tricky, since several games do have a natural break in the middle (Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess) but the latter half usually has more dungeons than the first, so it's still a bit uneven. A split into three pieces, while it would have nice symbolism, would be fairly unnatural as well, though it would at least probably have enough room to do the story justice.
In the end, I wouldn't make a Zelda movie - but I would absolutely make a Zelda mini-series. There may not be many places to split the stories in halves or thirds, but there are plenty of places to split them into "chapters", so to speak. It would allow for a very faithful retelling - a lot of the little details and characters that we like to see in the game could be included without sacrificing them to plot. More dungeons could be included since they'd be spread throughout the show instead of having to be condensed into a couple of installments. And yes, while commercial breaks would be pretty annoying, if it's produced right, when it would later be released on DVD, it would be just as good as a movie, if not better, since it would most likely be longer.
A mini-series would be definitely be my first choice. Barring that, a trilogy.
I really want it to be made, however i worry about all the things that could go wrong. Parts of the movie might contradict the games, to much could get cut out, to many dungeons would mean a boring movie, and not enough plot development.also the actors/CGI/effects might be cheesy/bad. In the end, i would choose Wind Waker, because there is a lot larger ratio of plot development to dungeon crawling. They could make the pearls easy to get, as if all had the same length of trials as jabun's pearl, tower of the gods stays of course. At the end ganon's tower and the under the ocean parts in general would be great as a movie, and all together it is the most fit for a film. it has an interesting story with a lot of twists (compared to other games). the only thing i worry about is that there are LOTS of references to OoT in the backstory, but I don't think it would be that hard to pull off.
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If they did make a movie with a good budget it would still most likely let us down. They'd have to really look hard for someone who actually looks like he could be Link instead of just throwing in Channing Tatum or some other well known actor just to bring in more viewers. They would also have to do so much condensing that it wouldn't even be close to the game. Unless they get extremely lucky and end up with a great script, great director, and large enough budget, we're probably going to end up with another "The Last Airbender" or something.
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if james cameron and miyamoto worked together on a huge buget movie with a plot that takes all the dungeons and towns and makes some thing that is fun to watch it could be a good idea
benjibibbles
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The day that Nintendo does that I will burn the HQ down.
Peace Of Heart
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Rofl @ Benji! Bahaha! the fake trailer made me ROFl so hard =P
Michael Heide
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Great. Now I want to write a Zelda movie script.
Because let's face it, a movie version is inevitable. Hollywood is cranking out movie after movie based on novels, tv shows, video games, toys, theme park rides and your momma's grocery list, it's only a matter of time until they pay Nintendo enough money to make a movie. And it will be a success, even if it's bad. But it doesn't have to be bad. With a solid script, a passionate director and a Special FX budget the size of Europe's GDP, I'm faithful that we could end up with an enjoyable 150 minutes. Lord of the Rings was deemed unfimable, and that one turned out nicely.
So what would have to be in a Zelda movie? I for one, don't think that it should be a 1:1 adaptation of one particular game. Those stories were written for one very specific medium, and just copy-pasting them into a movie would do more harm than good. While audiences appreciate action, they would not want to see Link battle his way through five dungeons or more, one after another, while a montage of Link rushing through six temples in thirty seconds (complete with a rock song playing in the background) doesn't rank any higher.
So we are facing several challenges.
Should Link talk? While I understand the concerns of those in the "he's mute" camp, having a protagonist with a vocabulary of Yaaah! Heeeyaaah! Ungh! and "Hehe!" is the safest way to let your movie tank at the box office. Unless that protagonist is Helen Keller, but I don't want to see her with a Master Sword, slicing her way through Octorocs. Wait, that's a lie. I do want to see that. Just not in a Zelda movie. So go through a very thorough casting process, give Miyamoto and Aounuma the right to veto any actor they find, and then let the guy speak. I mean, the alternative is letting him speak through a companion like Navi (Ugh!) or Tingle (uuggggghh!!), and who would want that?
Who should be the bad guy? I'm sure we can agree on the fact that Ganon is Link's nemesis. His Blofeld. His Lex Luthor. His Sauron. Sequels aside, not starting with the main baddie is ridiculous.
What is Zelda's role in the movie? Well, the movie would be named after her, so she's got to be in it, and she needs to get captured by Ganon (not for the majority of the movie, though). I would like to give her a more active role, but I don't want to just make her Sheik, or Tetra. Maybe something like Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy? She gets captured, gets freed, and then joins the fight against the bad guy. Heh. "You stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking bullbo-herder!" Could work.
How does he obtain the Triforce? We can't let him crawl through eight dungeons, for reasons stated above. While there will have to be at least one dungeon, maybe more, it would just become too repetitive. Letting him salvage eight sunken chests with Triforce shards is even worse. So will he have to visit the Seven Sages? Jabu Jabu? The Shadow World? Perhaps it would be best if there was a combination of those options.
How many races will Link meet? Is it wise to include the Zora? Would they be cool like Avatar's Navi? Or ridiculous like the Gungans from Phantom Menace? Could we show the Gorons, or would they be considered a rip-off of the Rock Biter from Neverending Story? Can we introduce the Kokiri, or would they look stupid on the big screen?
Because let's face it, a movie version is inevitable. Hollywood is cranking out movie after movie based on novels, tv shows, video games, toys, theme park rides and your momma's grocery list, it's only a matter of time until they pay Nintendo enough money to make a movie. And it will be a success, even if it's bad. But it doesn't have to be bad. With a solid script, a passionate director and a Special FX budget the size of Europe's GDP, I'm faithful that we could end up with an enjoyable 150 minutes. Lord of the Rings was deemed unfimable, and that one turned out nicely.
So what would have to be in a Zelda movie? I for one, don't think that it should be a 1:1 adaptation of one particular game. Those stories were written for one very specific medium, and just copy-pasting them into a movie would do more harm than good. While audiences appreciate action, they would not want to see Link battle his way through five dungeons or more, one after another, while a montage of Link rushing through six temples in thirty seconds (complete with a rock song playing in the background) doesn't rank any higher.
So we are facing several challenges.
Should Link talk? While I understand the concerns of those in the "he's mute" camp, having a protagonist with a vocabulary of Yaaah! Heeeyaaah! Ungh! and "Hehe!" is the safest way to let your movie tank at the box office. Unless that protagonist is Helen Keller, but I don't want to see her with a Master Sword, slicing her way through Octorocs. Wait, that's a lie. I do want to see that. Just not in a Zelda movie. So go through a very thorough casting process, give Miyamoto and Aounuma the right to veto any actor they find, and then let the guy speak. I mean, the alternative is letting him speak through a companion like Navi (Ugh!) or Tingle (uuggggghh!!), and who would want that?
Who should be the bad guy? I'm sure we can agree on the fact that Ganon is Link's nemesis. His Blofeld. His Lex Luthor. His Sauron. Sequels aside, not starting with the main baddie is ridiculous.
What is Zelda's role in the movie? Well, the movie would be named after her, so she's got to be in it, and she needs to get captured by Ganon (not for the majority of the movie, though). I would like to give her a more active role, but I don't want to just make her Sheik, or Tetra. Maybe something like Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy? She gets captured, gets freed, and then joins the fight against the bad guy. Heh. "You stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking bullbo-herder!" Could work.
How does he obtain the Triforce? We can't let him crawl through eight dungeons, for reasons stated above. While there will have to be at least one dungeon, maybe more, it would just become too repetitive. Letting him salvage eight sunken chests with Triforce shards is even worse. So will he have to visit the Seven Sages? Jabu Jabu? The Shadow World? Perhaps it would be best if there was a combination of those options.
How many races will Link meet? Is it wise to include the Zora? Would they be cool like Avatar's Navi? Or ridiculous like the Gungans from Phantom Menace? Could we show the Gorons, or would they be considered a rip-off of the Rock Biter from Neverending Story? Can we introduce the Kokiri, or would they look stupid on the big screen?
I can't say I'm real enthusiastic about the idea of a Zelda movie.
Since when has any video game movie ever turned out well?! They do poorly, get pretty bad reviews, and butcher the franchise. If that's really all Hollywood can produce, then I say it's best to keep Zelda strictly to games.
Since when has any video game movie ever turned out well?! They do poorly, get pretty bad reviews, and butcher the franchise. If that's really all Hollywood can produce, then I say it's best to keep Zelda strictly to games.
Michael Heide
The 8th Wise Man
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Silent Hill.
Oh, and don't forget Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crud. But that doesn't mean that it's impossible for a Zelda movie to fall under those elusive 10%. They just have to do it right.
D
Donahue
Guest
Dear God no. Movies are different than video games in that, a movie character (unless he is specifically written to be a mute) has to speak. Remember the other times Link spoke?
That and video game movies change the subject matter to their liking, for all we know the Triforce could turn into "the Magical Donkey of Power" or something. Its better left untouched.
That and video game movies change the subject matter to their liking, for all we know the Triforce could turn into "the Magical Donkey of Power" or something. Its better left untouched.
Michael Heide
The 8th Wise Man
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It won't be left untouched. I'm just saying that it doesn't have to be bad.