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Zelda movie casting discussed by series creator Miyamoto

Series designer and director Takashi Tezuka says he'd like an actress to play the Hero of Time.

GameSpot staff
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GameSpot staff
2 min read

Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of The Legend of Zelda and Mario, has discussed potential casting for a Zelda movie.

Joined by Takashi Tezuka, designer and director of numerous Zelda and Mario games, the duo told MTV said they'd like someone "completely new" and indicated a Japanese person may not be the best fit for the character.

"With Japanese TV drama and film they always use the same actors so I actually think we should have someone completely new," said Miyamoto, before inviting the more pop culture savvy Tezuka to offer his opinion.

"I can't think of any," Tezuka replied. "This is just personally, it would very fun and awesome if Link was played by a female actress, a boyish female actress."

Miyamoto added: "This is something I never imagined because Link is very different to how a Japanese person looks. At the Japanese Expo I attended, there were so many people in cosplay who looked very good. They would be good!"

Elsewhere in the interview, Miyamoto addressed the possibility of movies based on Nintendo properties.

"As Nintendo is an entertainment company we think about ways of expanding outside of video games and not being limited," he said. So we do not have anything in the immediate works but we are definitely interested and open to it."

He continued: "A feature-length film? It's definitely a secret! I can't make any comments right now but we will see."

Following a report stated a Zelda live-action series was in production at Netflix. Nintendo released a statement saying the report was "not based on correct information," but didn't outright deny it was happening.

Leaked emails also stated Sony and Nintendo were discussing a new Mario movie. "Spider-Man"producer Avi Arad is reportedly brokering a deal with Nintendo to obtain the Mario film rights. According to Arad, the negotiations with Nintendo are not finalised, but rather "just the beginning."