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Who should play Link in the upcoming live-action Zelda TV show?

In their quest to give subscribers original content to watch (and to attract new customers too), Netflix is making a live-action TV show based on the Zelda videogames.

The news itself is not surprising, but it is a bit worrying. The quintessential Zelda-ness that has made the games so popular and enduring is hard to capture thanks to wildly-varied settings, epochs and looks, making it rather difficult to understand how, exactly, it will all translate onto the big screen.

But more to the point, Nintendo properties have an awful track record when making the jump to TV. The late 80s saw a terrible Zelda cartoon that didn’t last longer than a season, and we’d all do well to forget 1993’s truly awful Mario Bros. live-action movie starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo.

So we find ourselves asking questions like “How are they going to pull this off without making the franchise look lame?”, “Is the core premise of ‘explore Hyrule in search of Princess Zelda encountering quirky characters and solving quests’ going to keep viewers glued to their screens?” and, perhaps more importantly, “Will a real actor playing Link be convincing?”

Right now, it’s almost impossible to say.

Which got us thinking: which actor – or indeed actress – should play Link, the series’ long-suffering and somewhat androgynous protagonist? Whose face and voice could make us believe we’re really watching something authentically Zelda?

link_from_the_legend_of_zelda_by_scr4tchpr00f-d3yxk1o
CC BY 3-0/scr4tchpr00f

So we’re turning that over to you, our readers.

To get you started, we have a few suggestions from the htxt.africa team; feel free to add your own. We’ll tally the votes and reveal the results in a future post.

Tiana

By Katie Baldock: Red shoes by the drugstore. [CC BY-SA 2.0]
By Katie Baldock: Red shoes by the drugstore. [CC BY-SA 2.0]
Ellar Coltrane from Boyhood as he’s “quite pointy, very Link-esque”.

Quinton

"Chloe Grace Moretz Cannes 2014 2" di Georges Biard. Con licenza CC BY-SA 3.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons
“Chloe Grace Moretz Cannes 2014 2” by Georges Biard. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Chloe Moretz of Kick Ass fame, with a worry that she might be a little “too sweary” for a children’s show.

"Saoirse Ronan at 2014 Berlin Film Festival (cropped)" by Siebbi - Saoirse Ronan. Licensed through CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“Saoirse Ronan at 2014 Berlin Film Festival (cropped)” by Siebbi – Saoirse Ronan. Licensed through CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Saoirse Ronan, who was really good in Hanna. Also, she gets extra points for the green top, since that’s Link’s colour.

Adam

"Macaulay Culkin 1991 B" by photo by Alan Light. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“Macaulay Culkin 1991 B” by photo by Alan Light. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Macauley Culkin, but his cute pre-teen self and not the rehab Culkin of more recent times.

Maisie_Williams_(March_2013)
CC BY 2-0/Suzie Pratt

Adam’s serious choice is Maisie Williams, also known as Arya Stark from Game of Thrones because, as Adam says, she can play anyone. Quinton seconded this choice.

Deon

"Believe Tour 13, 2012" by Joe Bielawa Uploaded by MyCanon - Justin Bieber. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“Believe Tour 13, 2012” by Joe Bielawa Uploaded by MyCanon – Justin Bieber. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Justin Bieber. But perhaps his younger self, the one without all the tattoos would be a better choice.

"Zac Efron TIFF 2012" by Jason HargroveUploaded by MyCanon - Zac Efron. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“Zac Efron TIFF 2012” by Jason Hargrove Uploaded by MyCanon – Zac Efron. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Zac Effron. Dye his hair blonde put him in tights and boom, instant Link. Yes, no?

"La Roux Eleanor Elly Jackson" by Man Alive! - Flickr.com. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“La Roux Eleanor Elly Jackson” by Man Alive! – Flickr.com. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Elly Jackson from British pop band La Roux, as she already has the spiky hair thing down pat.

Charlie

1024px-Emma_Stone_by_Gage_Skidmore_small
Emma Stone by Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Emma Stone. It’s apparently her “cute but mischievous face” that makes her a shoe-in for Link in Charlie’s books.

Got your own suggestions? Let us know in the comments or on the forum.

[Header Image Credit – CC by 2.0/ By Pikawil from Laval, Canada (Otakuthon 2014: The Legend of Zelda)

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