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Seems to me that in order to adapt a beloved IP like, sayyyyy, a video game, you need to start with a simple question- what do fans love about this character? What do they love about this world? What FEELING does this game give them? How can we strive to create that feeling?
This means thoughtfully and deeply mining the emotions associated with that game, favorite moments, the design, the MUSIC, the common experiences everyone has had with this game, common frustrations with the game, it’s history, learning to speak the LANGUAGE of that fan community
You do this by getting a team, and team leadership, that’s immersed in these feelings, that had strong personal love and nostalgia for that property, an intrinsic sense of what FEELS like the IP they know and love, what lived up to & what violates its promise
This isn’t easy- video games are a uniquely personal medium- everyone‘s had their own unique adventure with the character & imagines them a little differently- but we still played in the same world, with the same catchy tunes, same charming artwork, same surprises, wins & losses
By starting with these commonalities, the parts fans love & emotionally connect to, you can start from there & begin to improvise, imagine, adjust, build a story world that’s worthy of a movie. But you can never violate those central promises the IP makes to our audience
Reviving an old IP should almost be like gathering strangers together and, in a moment of catharsis, discovering a shared memory. We’ve all BEEN to this world, we shared this adventure together before we ever met. It’s not just an act of creating, its an act of remembering
Sort of like when you dust off an old karaoke song- even if you get a few notes wrong, if you sing sincerely, from a place of love, everyone gets on their feet and sings along. But if you don’t know the words, sing sarcastically, like ur better than the material, u get eyerolls
In other words, executives- don’t adapt an IP you don’t absolutely LOVE it down to your bones. And even if you do love it, have frequent test screenings and consultation from others who love it most. Immerse yourself in its history and what about it is most emotionally affecting
Anything short of this will come off as “how do you do fellow kids?” at best. You obviously cant please everyone all the time, but there‘s basics that you can suss out pretty fast- like the look, sound & feel of something that’s been popular for DECADES (despite its own missteps)
And what if your IP feels too “weird” to directly adapt? What if it involves magic hedgehogs or floating question blocks or pink puff balls inhaling enemies? Should you panic, play a pop song on top and have the characters make jokes about vaping and tinder to make it universal?
NO DUMMY! It’s already beloved WITHOUT those cues! You need to see the cute strange whimsical Japanese oddness in your IP not as a liability to overcome, but as an incredible asset, a free GIFT, something to joyfully showcase, not bury under Hollywood tropes. It’s what fans LOVE
Anyway this is to announce my new Legend of Zelda movie, where Link jumps out of the TV to help Kevin Hart reconnect with his daughter on a road trip. The music in the trailer will be The Macarena, of COURSE 🧵 Thread Over #LegendOfZeldaTriForceTriFurious
