Netflix and Nintendo team up to develop live-action Zelda series

 

Netflix is teaming up with Nintendo to bring the iconic video game “The Legend of Zelda” to life.

 

A TV show based on the fantasy game is in the early stages of development according to a report in the Wall Street Journal which cites a company insider describing it as “Game of Thrones” for a family audience.

 

Over 20 instalments of the Zelda franchise have been released by Nintendo since 1987, with over 60m copies sold.

 

However, Zelda fanatics will have to wait a while before they get the chance to watch it live: the project is reported to still be looking for a writer. Even then there’s no guarantee production will go ahead.

 

And that might not be such a bad thing for those fond of the series. After all, Nintendo’s history with live action adaptations of its characters is chequered at best.

 

The 1993 English-language adaptation of Super Mario Bros. was a financial and critical disaster that failed to make even half of its production budget back at the box office, while cartoon versions of Zelda and Super Smash Bros. have been released to relative obscurity.

 

In general, video games have made terrible films. In fact, not one feature-length adaptation has been positively received by critics according to Rotten Tomatoes’ aggregator.

 

Nintendo’s Pokemon television series was a worldwide phenomenon that made the company millions, yet the feature film was slaughtered by critics.

 

Last year the Japanese video game maker said it was looking to actively expand its character licensing business, having traditionally been incredibly protective of its intellectual property.