[spoiler]Generic reporter: This week, I got a chance to sit down with CEO of Nintendo America, Bonnie Ross, and the executive producer of the Live-Action Zelda TV show, Kiki Wolfkill. For those who have been living under a rock the past few years, Mrs. Ross, known for her leadership under the now-defunct 343 Studios, inherited the position of CEO after Microsoft's acquisition of Nintendo. Mrs. Wolfkill is known for her work on the Halo franchise as well as the Halo TV adaptation. I want to extend my thanks to them for joining us. Bonnie: It's a pleasure! Kiki: Yeah, happy to be here! Reporter: So fans have been clamoring for a live-action Zelda adaptation for...well, for as long as I can remember. When the trailer was released, it exploded all over social media, caught everybody, including myself by surprise! The reactions from folks have ranged from excitement, to anticipation, though a minority of people had some slight misgivings about Link being a woman. Now that the first episode is out, I guess the first question that comes to mind, which I guess will go to Mrs. Wolfkill, is this: What lead the writers to make this brave decision? By the way, for anybody who is watching, SPOILERS AHEAD! Kiki: Yeah, so one of the things we wanted to do when we were given the green light to go ahead with the project, is we wanted to take a close look at the entirety of the Zelda franchise. I think anybody who has played the games can tell you that the timeline is tricky to work with, so making a faithful adaptation that stayed 100 percent loyal to the games is nearly impossible. This, and we had to make changes for the TV series because it is a different medium. One of the things that we noticed about the games is that Link, Zelda, and Ganon are all ideas rather than characters, especially Link, since he/she is a blank slate that anybody can insert themselves into. They don't have to be limited to one gender. So the reason we made Link a woman is to send a message that “Hey, anybody can be him/her. They're you, they're me.” And we think Sarah Silverman is killing it as Link! Bonnie: If I may add to that, Zelda has always had a theme of inclusivity. It's always been the symbolic story about good vs evil, about self-discovery and identity. This is something we've always wanted to reiterate in our games and other non-game media. The Master Sword is a stand-in for one's own truth, something that allows them to fight back. Nintendo has always been about breaking the mold and Zelda is no exception. It has never come to TV before, so in order to make a splash, the team did not want to retread the paradigms set by the games. The show had to have its own unique Zelda identity by having elements fans have never seen in the games before, while still maintaining that hero's journey we all know and love. Reporter: One of the new elements, which shocked everyone, was when we found out that Zelda and Link are actually sisters. Clones, to be more precise. Kiki: Yes, so this is something we actually discussed in length in the writer's room. We know the games take place in a fantasy setting, but some of the games had sci-fi elements to them. Take Breath of The Wild, for example, it had bits of sci-fi in it. So we thought “Hey...what if we make them clones?” the idea really caught on with the writers and it really makes sense when you look back at the games. Though they are different, Link and Zelda have have always had equally important roles to fill, equally impactful abilities. So it wasn't a stretch to say maybe they were clones taken from the same source. Clones in real life aren't always a perfect copy, so there are going to be differences among them, but they come from the same source. Zelda and Link both have blond hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears. So this is canon that can easily fit into the games. Bonnie: It was a risky decision, but I am satisfied with what came of it. Reporter: Well, it was a shocking twist, one that sent ripples throughout the Zelda fandom. Some liked it, some were not so sure. What would you say to the doubters who claim you are abandoning Zelda's identity? Bonnie: The unfortunate truth is that you are never going to please everybody. We want to reach as many people as possible, target a market audience that goes beyond the games' scope. In order to do that, we had to remove limitations and go outside the bounds set by Shigeru Miyamoto's legacy while maintaining his wish to make Zelda accessible and fun, to make it so that new people can have new experiences and new journeys. Kiki: This is also why we made the hard decision to make both the Zoras and the Gorons human. In the games, they were defined by their race. Yet we wanted to focus on who they were, rather than what they were. The Gorons were known for being tough, so we made them emotionally resilient. The Zoras were known for their loyalty and bravery, so we let that show on the show, using vest-mounted rotors to propel them through water rather than fins. It was another way of creating a unique take on the Zelda universe. We didn't want our writers to be limited, so we had them remove all mentions and depictions of race in order to better advocate diversity and creativity! Reporter: I see...so, it is certainly a take we've never seen before. Kiki: Thank you! Reporter: So, any chance we will see Ganon soon? Kiki: I don't want to say too much, but I think fans will be surprised by our take on the Ganon idea. I'll give this hint though: We want to turn the villain concept on its head! We want evil to be subjective rather than something that's set in stone. Characters we know and love may not be as innocent as you think they are... Reporter: Well, I can't wait to see what you all have in store for us! Thanks for taking the time to have this interview! Kiki: Thanks for having us! Bonnie: Thank you! [/spoiler]