With a rumored Legend of Zelda live-action series potentially in development, there’s a lot to speculate – or hope for. Regardless of how such a series decides to cast or write its characters, there’s no doubt that the role of the titular Princess Zelda and how she is portrayed could be a make-it-or-break-it aspect of the show. One angle that could offer the kind of long-term tension and character development to make for a compelling take on Nintendo’s leading lady would be to mimic Disney Channel hit Hannah Montana.
The honky-tonky pop-star, portrayed by Miley Cyrus, lived a double life as an ‘everyday high-schooler’ while donning a blonde wig and masquerading as pop sensation Hannah Montana. The show’s opening scene ends by specifically highlighting how even the protagonist’s best friend is blissfully ignorant to her alternate identity. See where this is going yet?
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A Legend of Zelda series could have ‘The Best of Both Worlds’ by taking cues from this dynamic and applying them to Zelda, who is known to likewise have different roles and identities across the franchise. Perhaps the most applicable comparison would be Wind Waker’s Tetra, who is butch and brazen, only to be saddled into glitter and sparkles and so much freaking pink, all for her adoring fans – er, that is, her kingdom in need. While Wind Waker’s story isn’t deep enough to properly develop the kinds of frustrations and tensions Tetra’s character would’ve dealt with, Disney’s series ended up cutting itself short in Season 4 due to the real life consequences its child star was dealing with.
And this is where an adaptation of Zelda could truly break some new ground for the franchise: chewing on the kinds of struggles young celebrities deal with and spitting them out in a post-modern fantasy, live-action setting. Miley Cyrus and her family life were derailed by the filming of Hannah Montana. Being forced to grow up quicker than usual, being dressed up and dolled to play a character who likewise was dealing with the same issues probably wasn’t easy in its own ways. This all likely made working on the Black Mirror episode Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too a cathartic experience for Miley. Imagine if similar concepts were applied to Princess Zelda over the course of an entire series. And there’s precedent for it.
In Ocarina of Time, we meet Sheik, we are guided by them, we find out their ‘true identity’ as Princess Zelda but we miss out on so much. What were those seven years inbetween like? How did Zelda’s training under Impa go? Did Zelda assume the identity of Sheik out of necessity alone, or desire to break free from who a princess is expected to be? Does Zelda even like the identity she reassumes at the end of the game or is it simply out of survival for the greater good? Would this character prefer more fluidity between these two identities (maybe not as literal as in the dual-appearance in Smash Bros. Melee), do they struggle with maintaining a balance, or do they flourish in it? It might remind one of the character White Rose from the shrewd drama Mr. Robot, but imagine if such a character was one of the primary protagonists rather than an occasionally recurring shadow figure.
Perhaps one logical conclusion to all of this would be to see a version of Princess Zelda who ultimately abandons the title and/or royal line. Zelda’s role in the mainline games time and again has many alternate identities or even occupations discarded in favor of ‘duty’ and ‘tradition’ and ‘responsibility.’ Ultimately, Miley Cyrus cut short the possible long-lasting success of Hannah Montana in order to get control over her life. It would be both refreshing and a potentially rewarding subversion of expectations to have the title ‘The Legend of Zelda‘ in some way refer to a role that is left behind so that the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom might assume an identity the character prefers. Whether that is a ninja warrior, a scrappy pirate, a possessed suit of armor, a mad scientist, or a brand new identity entirely, it could be liberating for audiences to see such an iconic role liberate itself in turn. If Miley Cyrus can break free from a life of glitter pink, imagine what Princess Zelda could do.
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