A good hero is only as good as his villain, and Link has had many, but Ganondorf (or Ganon), is his greatest nemesis, seeking out the pieces of Triforce which Link and Zelda strive to protect time and time again. How Ganondorf will be imagined on screen in Netflix’s rumored Legend of Zelda series is anyone’s guess. while Link and Zelda have largely remained the same throughout all the games, he clothed in a green tunic, she dressed in a regal dress (or prancing about in a ninja outfit as Shiek), Ganondorf’s appearance has undergone regular transformations. The one possibly best suited for TV is the humanoid Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, where he is a leader of desert bandits known as the Gerudo. They might lose the green skin and bright ginger hair as well, but whoever they choose to play him will have to embody his power-hungry desire and brooding, dark presence.
With our picks for Link already locked in, we focus on the King of Thieves next.
Gerard Butler
The beardy bloke from Scotland has moulded himself into a veritable action star in the last decade, beginning with his powerful turn as King Leonidas in Zack Snyder’s 300. He is currently filming the sequel to Olympus Has Fallen in London, and although he has not worked on a TV series in over a decade, the medium no longer has the stigma it once did for film careers, especially on Netflix.
Michael Shannon
Another Snyder alumni, Shannon was last seen beating Superman to a pulp as General Zod in Man of Steel, but he is possibly more recognised for his role as shamed Prohibition Agent Nelson Van Alden, perfectly capturing the character’s inner turmoil between a deep-seeded religious fundamentalism and his violent actions. If anyone could make the hulking green Gerudo leader believable, it’s him.
Jason Momoa
Ever since his scene-stealing turn as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, Momoa has been slaying roles on screens both big and small, although he will always have a place in my heart as runner Ronon Dex who found a home in Stargate: Atlantis. In a list that is becoming Six Degrees of Zack Synder, he will next be seen as Aquaman in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, yet he also recently starred in The Sundance Channel’s new drama The Red Road, showing that he is open to TV work if the material is good enough.
Tom Hardy
Yes, Bane! Hardy has shown he can bulk up for brutal roles in The Dark Knight Rises and Bronson, and will next be seen as the titular Wasteland hero in Mad Max: Fury Road. Hardy has flirted with TV work, recently starring in the BBC’s Birmingham-set drama Peaky Blinders. He can also grow a mean, Ganondorf-esque beard.
Hugh Jackman
Okay, this might be a bit of a stretch, but the actor, whose career has been defined by his portrayal of Marvel mutant hero Wolverine, has toyed with villainous roles, such as in Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie, as well as playing Blackbeard in Pan later this year. While his schedule is chock-full with future outings of the clawed Canadian X-Man, imagine the wider audience Jackson’s presence could bring to the Zelda world.
Ian McShane
While certainly older than many of the other actors on the list, he is no less accomplished or capable. Although still best known for the auction house sleuth Lovejoy (in the UK, anway), McShane has turned to the dark side several times, from saloonkeeper Al Swearengen in Deadwood to more recently as Blackbeard opposite Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Joe Manganiello
Yes, the rugged werewolf Alcide from True Blood, that big hulking barrel of raging testosterone and muscle, would be a perfect fit for Ganondorf. Since Sookie Stackhouse and company left the airwaves, Manganellio has been working on the soon-to-air Scream Queens alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, and Abigail Breslin, where he will no doubt be once again showing his chiseled torso to the world. His gruff physique is a perfect match for the power-hungry conqueror of Hyrule.
Karl Urban
Since his futuristic cop show Almost Human was criminally cancelled last year, and with it looking highly unlikely that his gritty version of Dredd will be riding through Mega City One any time soon, Urban is a talented actor who really needs something meaty to sink his Aussie jaws into. His instantly recognisable dark, brooding demeanour would be well suited to the leader of the Gerudo tribe. If the Netflix bods were looking for someone to bring an extra dimension to Ganondorf, a typically flat character motivated only by power, Urban would be a great choice.
Idris Elba
Ever since his breakout role as Stringer Bell in David Simon’s The Wire, Elba has been riding a high career wave, including in the acclaimed BBC detective drama Luther, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and as the scene-stealing gatekeeper Heimdall in Marvel’s Thor and its sequel. The hard-working actor has no less than seven films in post-production, as well as serving as an executive producer on the American remake of Luther. He has a certain savage brilliance that touches all of his work, something that the character of Ganondorf could certainly use an injection of.
Randy Couture
Yes, he’s a wrestler, and the bulk of whose performances can be found in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables series. He may not have the acting chops of the other actors on this list, but damn if he doesn’t look the double of Ganondorf.
It’s Dangerous To Go Alone…
So who do you think would make the perfect villain for the Nintendo series’ live debut? Is there someone missing from this list who would perfectly slip into Ganondorf’s great big ginger sideburns? While Ganondorf (and his swinish alter-ego, Ganon) represent Link’s greatest challenge, the hero of Hyrule is always joined on his quest by the third Triforce bearer, Princess Zelda. We’ll look at ten actresses who we think could don her regal attire in the final Legend of Zelda Casting Ideas article.
