Extra, Extra!: No Legend of Zelda Series Coming to Netflix

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

Nintendo fans the world over awoke last week to supremely disheartening news.  Although it had been previously reported that Nintendo was going to produce a live-action Legend of Zelda series with Netflix, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata firmly rejected that the series was in progress.

Described as being like a family friendly version of Game of Thrones, the Legend of Zelda series was a massively exciting idea.  It would have been the first real cinematic endeavor that Nintendo's taken since the God-awful Super Mario Bros movie in '93 and come at a time when the appeal of high-concept fantasy and its ability to be rendered on screen have created the perfect market for it.

It wasn't even just the idea of the series itself that was so exciting.  There was also the prospect that Nintendo might loosen up the iron grip that it held onto all of its other franchises with - like Mega Man, Metroid, Star Fox and, yes, even Mario.  I would pay through the nose for a Metroid movie, and this was as close to one as we've ever gotten.

According to Iwata,

“As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films, but I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information.”

While it is a disheartening statement, it's not a complete denial of it either.  It's entirely possible that the leaked information was based on a negotiation with Netflix still in progress, or even purely internal (and hypothetical) discussions.  It's just as possible that it will never happen at this point as it is that it might happen at some point down the line.  It might not even end up being anything like what Nintendo was allegedly working on in the first place.  All we know is 1) that they aren't talking about any new plans and 2) the article wasn't right.

So now we play the waiting game to see if Nintendo does move forward with any big or small screen plans for their intellectual properties.  They certainly have a lot to choose from, and while video game adaptations haven't had the best track record, neither did superhero movies for the longest time,and now they're a blockbuster mainstay.

So would you watch a live action Legend of Zelda Netflix series?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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