As you know, a live-action Legend of Zelda movie is currently in development. Directed by Wes Ball and produced by a team involving him, Miyamoto and Avi Arad, the film is set to be distributed by Sony in the next few years.
It’s an ambitious project, and one plenty of fans have shown excitement about.
But what if you don’t want to wait that long? Or you feel like the fans could do a better job with their own movie adaptation?
Well, if so, the Lost in Hyrule project could be just the thing. Directed by and starring Chris Carpenter, the film is a non-profit affair that aims to conclude the Hero of Time saga, following on from the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask and providing an end to that part of the series.
It’s an ambitious project, and one that definitely looks promising based on the trailer and set photos. Here’s the trailer in question:
As well as a Kickstarter page for the project:
Lost in Hyrule: A Legend of Zelda Fan Film (Kickstarter)
Unfortunately, the latter might also be the project’s undoing. Because raising money on Kickstarter for a fan project, is not the best idea in the world.
In fact, it might be one of the riskiest, least thoughtful things you can ever do online. And there’s a very good reason for that.
Money. You’re making money of another company or creator’s IP, without their consent.
And that’s not exactly something Nintendo is very keen on. In fact, their response to anyone making money off their works (at least in any notable quantity) is a mixture of a cease-and-desist letter and a potential lawsuit.
It happened to Super Mario Bros Z, it happened to previous fan films and projects. Heck, it even happened to a Japanese go-karting company due to their insistence in copying the Mario Kart logo and providing Mario themed costumes.
So, we get the distinct impression that Nintendo’s legal team won’t be too happy to learn this campaign exists. Or that they’re raising funds for a fan film that directly competes with an official product in development.
With that aspect potentially being an even bigger problem than the monetary one. You see, when it comes to fan project shut downs, our experience is that there are usually four factors involved in a company’s decision to send that DMCA or cease and desist order:
- How much the project can be confused with an official product
- Whether the project directly competes with an official product
- If any money is involved in the creation of said fan project
- Plus, whether said fan project has gotten a lot of attention/press online
Unfortunately, Lost in Hyrule kinda hits all four of those bullet points. It looks like the official Zelda movie, to the point someone could potentially mistake it as such. It’s in production at the same time as the official Zelda movie, and could be construed as a direct competitor. It’s raising money via a Kickstarter campaign (even if said money isn’t being paid out to the creators themselves). And it’s got a ton of attention online, with articles on sites like Nintendo Life.
Yeah, it’s probably doomed. The only way you could anger Nintendo any more would be to announce Mario Kart 9 or 10 for the PC, or to start up a Kickstarter for a Super Mario Odyssey sequel.
And it’s a real shame to be honest. Lost in Hyrule isn’t just some random cash grab, like the mountains of AI garbage on YouTube kids or the app store. It’s not the work of some clueless grifter trying to rip everybody off.
It’s a fan project by a passionate group of people with a lot of history in the Zelda community. Chris Carpenter is connected to folks like BanditGames and the GameXplain team, with previous experience in filmmaking and journalism. He’s running the project because he’s a fan of the series, and wants to pay tribute to the games he grew up with.
In theory, this should be the exact kind of project Nintendo should be proud to support. The exact kind of fan production that shows what the community is capable of as filmmakers.
It’s just that Nintendo won’t see it that way. For them, ‘making money’ off a Zelda live action film while the official one is in development is lawyer bait through and through. They will crack down on it, it’s just a matter of whether it’ll be in a few days or a few weeks.
Still, here’s hoping that the Lost in Hyrule team can achieve a miracle, and somehow finish the film before Nintendo Legal goes nuclear on them. It’s not very likely, but it’s their only hope right now. Better hope the gods are smiling down on you this time, that’s for sure.
Regardless, what do you think? Are you excited for this Zelda fan film? How likely is that Nintendo will try and shut down the project?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or over on our Discord server today!
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