With Sonic 3 dominating movie theaters right now, the writers of the movie are doing a lot of press. They’re being (rightfully) praised for penning one of the best video game adaptations put to film. Josh Miller and Pat Casey helped bring Sonic Adventure 2 (which was more or less the direct source material for the movie) to life. With video game adaptations (like Fallout, The Last of Us, and more) becoming all the rage now, this writing duo has a pipe dream for which video game they’d love to adapt next.
Sonic 3 Writers Want to Adapt a Zelda Game
While Josh Miller and Pat Casey know it’s unlikely, one game they specifically want to adapt into a movie is The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. The iconic Zelda game originated on the GameCube and is one of the most asked-for remakes two decades later. The franchise as a whole is being adapted into a movie, but it’s unclear which specific game will be the ultimate source material.
Where Sonic 3 mostly took from Sonic Adventure 2, the Zelda movie may not hone in on one title. In an interview, Miller said, “I think another easy one I think we can answer because the movie’s already happening and we’re already not doing it would be a Zelda. I remember always when we played Wind Waker, we were always like, man, I mean, it would probably be weird if they made a Zelda movie to start with Wind Waker versus the more classic Hyrule. But we both loved Wind Waker and it’s so cinematic. Yeah. So after they make this Zelda movie, I guess we’re putting it out there in the world, maybe we can do a Wind Waker spin-off.”
Will Sonic 3 Writers Get Their Wish?
It is very likely that the writers for the Zelda movie, which remains untitled and does not include Miller or Casey, go The Super Mario Bros. Movie route. That movie had ample games to pull from, and it did. There was no direct source, and the Zelda movie will likely not pick one singular game to go off of. That could leave the door open to adapt Wind Waker as a standalone, but that might be at odds with Nintendo’s ultimate franchise plan moving forward.
Additionally, the Zelda movie is going to be live-action. Part of Wind Waker’s charm (and the reason so many fans initially pushed back on it in the early 2000s) is the animated, chibi art style. That wouldn’t work as well in live-action, which makes it harder to envision this particular game being adapted. It is better suited for an animated adaptation. Sonic 3 was a hybrid live-action animated movie since Sonic and company were animated but exist in the real world.
Nintendo is very protective over their IPs, so unless they specifically planned to make Wind Waker into a movie, then Miller and Casey will probably be left wanting. They can try their best to manifest it. They can also point to the fact that they’ve successfully written three good video game adaptations, but Nintendo is not easily swayed. It may remain a pipe dream, but the writing duo is well aware that the odds are stacked against them.
In Conclusion
Sonic 3 is evidence that good writing can occur in a children’s movie and in a video game adaptation. It’s also evidence of what can happen when the teams behind these projects care for and know about the source material. Miller and Casey know Sonic, and it shows. It remains to be seen if the Zelda movie writers know the franchise. If Miller and Casey got their hands on it, it would likely have the same love and appreciation that the Sonic Cinematic Universe has.
