Netflix Developing Live Action ‘Legend Of Zelda’ Series?

You can probably hear the faint flapping of flying pigs in the distance as you’re reading this, because the most unthinkable of unthinkables seems to be taking place. Nintendo’s hit franchise, The Legend Of Zelda, is in currently development at Netflix to become a live action series, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Let me repeat that: The Legend Of Zelda is in development to become a live action series on Netflix.

After checking to make sure it’s not April 1, come on back, because we’ve got a few details.

” ‘The video streaming service is in the early stages of developing a live action series based on Zelda, about an ordinary boy named Link who must rescue a princess named Zelda and save a fantasy world called Hyrule,’ said a person familiar with the matter. As it seeks writers to work on the show, Netflix is describing it as Game of Thrones for a family audience, this person said.”

This news is huge for fans. Yes, the video game franchise had a short-lived animated TV series made in the late ’80s, but that had very little in common with the beloved game, apart from the name. You can take a look at the opening for that series below.

While the WSJ report did not have any Nintendo or Netflix representative confirm the report, the folks over at Slash Film have reportedly talked to other sources who have confirmed the report.

The Legend Of Zelda was a video game first created in 1986 on Nintendo’s Famicom system in Japan. Since its introduction, the franchise has become one of the most popular and recognizable franchises in the world. From its disk save system in the original game to its revolutionary gameplay in The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, it is also a franchise that has pushed the boundaries of gameplay in nearly every iteration.

Fans have been dreaming of a live action interpretation of the series since the beginning, but with its mute lead character, and visual effects heavy world, it has always been considered a tall (some say impossible) order. Will Netflix, creator of such acclaimed series as House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black, be able to crack the code? It’s hard to say, but Nintendo is not likely to take this deal lightly.

After the much maligned Super Mario Bros. movie in 1993, they’re bound to treat this one with care.

Are you excited for the Legend Of Zelda television series, or do you think it’s a franchise only meant for the consoles?