IMO, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has only worked once, and that was after the events of Captain America: the Winter Soldier. The show is mediocre otherwise.

People saying that a good Zelda tv show can't be made have been sitting in a cave for the last few years.

In few last years we've seen the bar for writing on television raised tremendously and not just for original series like True Detective and Breaking Bad but also for shows based on license, like Arrow (obviously Arrow isn't even in the same galaxy as TD or BB, but getting a decent show where you expect a complete crap is a HUGE progress).

Doing tv shows is the "in" thing to do. Netflix and Amazon other streaming providers all want to be the next AMC, FX, HBO and produce new shows by dozens. In just a few years we're gonna have an explosion of new series, some of them even already aired pilots like Man in High Castle. Not even speaking of numerous comic book shows are in development from both DC and Marvel.

The most important part would be picking showrunner and writing team. If they want it done right they need someone good and they need to give it time to develop story and with pre-production.

I would honestly prefer animated adaptation, but i can live with live-action. If they're doing it with actors there is absolutely no way Link and Zelda won't be put front and centre. It all depends on the writing. They don't even have to do it all serious -- you can go full Galavant, like in that famous japanese ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2TBHppHX1o
Make it funny, make it fun, add in some fan-service with random characters popping up here and there, like Happy Mask Sales man episode or something like that.

Seeing new re-interpretations of old comic book characters is one of the best parts of shows like Arrow and Flash. Especially if these characters are as outrageous as say Flash Rogues.

As to tone it seems like they're going for LOTR/Hobbit-like, i think good example of how it xan be done is this fanfilm:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8yqwvYo5PA
^ well maybe a bit less gory

Also it's funny how back in 2009, aSoIaF adaptation was initially pitched as "Sopranos in Middle-Earth" but now this show is now pitched as "GoT-lite". Times a changing.

I believe at least Zelda will be featured. Because if they were doing the agents of shield thing there wouldn't be any real reason to license the Zelda franchise because after all most people associate LoZ with Zelda and Link and a show like Agents would only pander to the Zelda super fan. There are ways to make make Link mute so he wouldn't talk. (Vow of silence since it is a fantasy setting.) So focusing on Zelda as a character makes sense.  Though I am alright with them having him talk since several games imply he has conversations. 

I was discussing this else where and just threw out a working framework:
When Zelda's sickly, because face it the father always have to be sickly, father's kingdom is threated by the dark lord Ganon. Zelda takes he body guard Impa and childhood friend Link. In search of the legendary treasures of the gods. And Tinkle can be the creepy guide they get that turns up to point them in the right direction and provide comedy releief. They would run into other characters in the Zelda franchise that would join them for a few episodes to help with finding going though the various dungeons. I would flesh it out more but have to go to work.

In that set up you have three (four) main character and can pander to the fans by having characters come and go as they travel looking for a resolution.

Gotham does NOT work without Batman.  I've tried getting into it a few times, but I just find it boring.  I want to see the real hero behind the mythos. It won't be a Legend of Zelda show without Link.  Even though his name is usually not even in the title of his games, the series is definitely about him.

Also, Link is no more "an avatar for the player" than the playable character in most other games.  Just because he doesn't talk outright doesn't mean that he doesn't have defined characteristics of his own. Actions speak louder than words - We know who Link is, and he isn't really us. We can see from his reactions what makes his happy, scared, surprised, angry, ect.  His is courageous (obviously), selfless, helpful, curious, and honorable.  He is also is just slightly mischievous, with little regard for others small, breakable, personal objects.

Let Link speak! He obviously DOES have his own voice (even if we rarely hear it).  I'm not saying they should make him a goofy chatter-box, because part of his character is the strong-and-silent type.  But "strong-and-silent" =/= mute.

And please God, no live-action Tingle!  He is awkward enough to encounter in a cartoon-y videogame, he would be downright disturbing in live-action.

As a huge Marvel fan, I haven't found Agents of SHIELD to be enjoyable in the slightest. And I think a Zelda TV series is unlikely to turn out as anything more than very disappointing.

I love Agents of Shield, and I LOVE Gotham and I am a comic book fan and Batman is my favorite super hero of all time. If you aren't getting into Gotham its because you watched random episodes and aren't following along start at the beginning and you will be hooked like the rest of the world.

A Zelda TV series without Link is a bad idea. He doesn't have to be the central character but he sure as hell better be there damn near ever episode for it to work. Shield works because it ties into a grander scheme, for that to work with a Zelda show they would also have to have major films to tie it into, that isn't exactly happening and tying it into the video games is a bad idea because they are all over the place confusing, it works for a video game because honestly story means squat in an action adventure game but a TV series story is king.

While I definitely agree a Zelda show would probably not centered around Link, I really don't think with a series entirely without him would work. I think they ought to go more along the lines of the Transformers movies, where the focus is on those caught in the middle, with the heroes being more in the background but yet driving the main plot.

*should probably not be centered

I think there are better series that could have taken advantage of their own TV series like Earthbound or F-Zero. Both series haven't had a whole lot of anything in a long time, both series have potential, a fans of the series, while angry at first, might enjoy it. To a lesser extent, Fire emblem could possibly work.

However, Nintendo takes Link who has no character and gives him a show. This seems like another Metroid: Other M waiting to happen.

My main concern over such a series, isn't about Link at all. What really concerns me is whether it'll be a fair representation of the franchise as a whole, or will it just try to play it safe by hiding in Ocarina of Time's shadow. Doing the latter has been seriously holding the franchise back, although they seem to be moving in the right direction in more recent games, I fear an outside production company will want to take the easy route and automatically stray back into OoT territory, which will only end bad since that's already been done to death.

TV producers LOVE to create shows based on properties, onky with main character taken out. Like Smallville was Superman without Superman, and they're even doing it again with Krypton show.

Many characters start with no characterisation, just with a costume because medium they were invented in didn't demand more at the time.
Take Green Arrow. He was a blatant rip-off of Batman in Robin Hood costume for a few decades. Green Arrow wasn't much of a character until Denny O'Neil reinvented him as a left-wing street-level hero in the 70s. Sure he wears the same costume and has the same gimmick but post-O'Neil he became someone else, he became something else... His reinterpretation enriched the character and made him better not worse, just like many other writers who apply their talent to any other long-standing comic book characters.

A bit more recent example is Joffrey Barathron who is barely a cardboard in the books but became more fleshed out character in the live action adaptation.


As i said it all depends on writing talent.

Netflix didn't spend all the money it did (if these rumors are true) to purchase the rights to The Legend of Zelda from notoriously closed-fisted Nintendo to not use Link, the character people buy the Zelda games to play as. While an interesting thought exercise, that sort of show would be a secondary series, a spin-off property. Netflix would have bought Zelda to have Link. Blame Nintendo for not having the faith in Zelda to make a Zelda-focused game.

Most people don't even know Link is the guy, they still call him Zelda. Fans live in a bubble where they forget the real world doesn't take this stuff as seriously as they do.

Like everything else, Netflix will try to cater to the MASSES which will alienate the die hard fans, with GOOD reason, die hard fans of any franchise are total nuts who want everything to be perfect to their own interpretation, where as the general population just want something vaguely familiar.

Netflix isn't HBO as much as they might think they are, they got lucky so far with one show everything else they have is shit nobody cares about because they church too much if it out to even notice. This is high profile for Netflix but really is it that high profile overall? Zelda is still popular but Nintendo is doing everything they can to turn their loyal fanbase against them a lot of die hard Zelda nuts will instantly cry fowl the first time Link opens his mouth and words come out.

You would be surprised how many "die-hard fans" want to see a talking, vocal Link. Its seems like a split issue with the hard core Zelda community.

I think another thing to keep in mind, is how it gets marketed. You mentioned your thoughts of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. being a superhero show without superheroes, yet was it ever supposed to be about superheroes? The Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. comics from which the series was inspired certainly wasn't. It was always focused on spies who operated in a world with superheroes in it. The real issue was never the lack superheroes, it was the lack of Nick Fury. However ABC marketed as it "continuing the events that started in The Avengers" with images of Thor's hammer and Cap's shield, which may have been a bit misleading. So, how Netflix markets this is something we should keep an eye on.

exactly my point, the fanbase is split and its small enough as it is this has to cater to a larger audience to succeed and they aren't paying money for something to fail they will go the route to the masses.

I honestly would love it if Zelda is the star of the Netflix Zelda series. If the elevator picth of "Family-friendly Game of Thrones" means anything, then have the show revolve around Zelda gives the necessary ground work for the political aspect of the world. Also, if Netflix wants the interpersonal relationships and drama of Game of Thrones for their Zelda show, then the closest Zelda game they can model from is Majora's Mask.


Hah! A Zelda TV show starring Zelda with a story strongly resembling Majora's Mask's Termina and Clock Town (doesn't have to be Clock Town, it could be Castle Town). That is the perfectly ridiculous and contentious show for this ridiculous and contentious news.


If this show becomes a reality (low chances IMO), I really do hope it is good and manages to capture the whimsy of the Zelda games in live-action.

Smallville still had Clark Kent as the main character, and he used his super-powers to fight baddies... It definitely still starred Superman, he just didn't call himself that yet.

Gotham doesn't work, because they are trying too hard.  And they choose a horrible time period...before Batman existed. 


I would have made Gotham start Year 0.  Meaning first season would be just the Gotham police and you can have all the Batman villains you want alive and normal.  However, deal with the decent of Gotham from Mob rule into crazy rule.  Second Season...bring Batman into the story...however make it only as Cameos.  This is still Batman as a myth, and nobody knows about him.  Make the story about the police in a city that has gone crazy.


It sounds like the same story, but focusing on younger villains makes the story strange. 


Personally, I think you should include Link.  If Nintendo uses some talented story writers to flesh out all the characters, they could finally give Link that personality needed to perhaps make a video game which Link has a voice and is a true character. 

I don't mind if Link is included, nor if he talks... just as long as he doesn't talk a LOT - he can be one of those noble but shy types who doesn't say much. Doubly so for the dungeon scenes - if there are dungeons in this show. If he goes yammering about the puzzles he's solving in great detail or giving cheesy one-liners as he fights with enemies (especially if he's otherwise alone in the dungeons), it will be extremely distracting.

The main thing that I absolutely don't want at all is for this version of Hyrule to be like every other medieval fantasy story over the past few decades, and have everyone tromping around talking with British or Irish slurs and accents. Hyrule is not a place set on Earth.

If they created a Hylian language for the actors to speak in and presented the show with subtitles, much like the singing/talking in Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess, I would respect and watch the show on principle alone, no matter how much they messed up the story.

I actually think it could be great even with a talking Link, however if they decided to focus on someone else do Ocarina of time and focus on Zelda/Sheik that would produce some awesome storytelling

um this is what I was talking about, the fanbase wants this to be based on a particular video game that will not happen for this to work it must stand on its own with an original story tailored to the TV audience. These types of adaptations cannot be straight lifted from the source they need to be altered considerably to fit a TV series. That means not basing on one particular game or point in the supposed timeline but rather using characters, motifs and general ideas, locations, etc from the series as a whole and crafting an original story around that loosely tied to the video game universe but not at all set in or tied to it in any real way.

Let's face it!  A Legend Of Zelda TV series already has our attention and we Nintendo fans will watch it regardless of whether it stars Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Midna, or Tingle... well maybe not Tingle (but I would still watch it).  The bottom line for any company working within our capitalist confines is, of course, the almighty dollar, which means mass market appeal is absolutely necessary.  I have to imagine the broadest audience would be gained by starring a young (adult) Link, as the unlikely hero.  That would allow for plenty of room for character development under the proper writing team.  That said, I would actually prefer a side story starring the titular Zelda(/Sheik) or some other brand new character. But let's be real here, we're all in the minority.  Mass market appeal will have a huge influence on what we get, if we get anything at all.  If the show does feature Link, he will certainly NOT be mute and this could actually impact the game series itself if it is well received.  This could be the jump many of us have been waiting for:  A means to invigorate the Legend Of Zelda videogames and vault them into the modern era.

Maybe it'll come out before the new game and Link will talk in both

speak for yourself, I don't consider myself among the die hard fans I am more representative of the mainstream tastes as one, I haven't played a Zelda game in years, the last one I enjoyed was OOT, and that was almost 20 damn years ago.
Zelda is pretty mainstream, or at least *used* to be, so there already is mass appeal. The die hard fans, they will bitch no matter what but the lapsed fans, the ones who grew up with classic Zelda but only know a couple of games and the broadest most iconic references will drive this thing not the die hard loyalists who even know what half those references mean.

If it starts Tingle or even FEATURES him it will bomb because the people who don't know who he is, or who hate him entirely far out number the tiny niche little cult following he has on the internet.


I have spoken personally with people who remember Zelda but like me don't follow the new stuff or know even less than I do who are excited for the possibility of this because outside die hard fans regular people don't even know Link is supposedly mute they just know him from one or two retro games and that cartoon so there is already an audience who figures he can talk. The people who want him to remain mute are mostly those who hated the cartoon for some odd reason, or those who actually follow the current games, which are an increasingly smaller group. The days where Zelda sold systems are behind us that is why it isn't launching closer to the systems release like it did when it mattered, because since Majora's mask and even Wind Waker the larger Zelda fanbase, the more casual fans, have lost interest or become disinterested because those two shitty ass games destroyed what people knew of Zelda and turned many off.

A Zelda series without Link just makes no sense to me.  Why even buy the rights to the franchise if you're going to rip out the most significant part of it?  Even for people that think the main character is named Zelda they know that the Zelda games star an elf dressed in green.  If you advertise such a show people will tune in expecting to see that elf and if he isn't there they're going to wonder what the hell is going on.  I've never watched Gotham but one thing that makes that odd concept somewhat marketable is that Batman is so iconic that even the supporting characters have a fair amount of casual mainstream recognition.  Outside of the elf guy and the elf princess the average person knows shit about Zelda.  You have to include the most basic elements that people are familiar with.

If they come up with a GOOD character for Link no one will have a problem with it.  Mute Link is completely unfeasible on a TV show.  A mute main character would be very arty and this is certainly supposed to be a mainstream show.

Things that work in video games don't necessarily work on TV. Could you imagine a TV adaptation of Super Metroid played straight? As a game it's the best ever made. As a show it'd be awful. That's why if there ever is a Zelda TV spinoff there's going to be a speaking Link. Die hard Zelda nerds are just going to have to deal with it.