We’re officially getting a live-action movie adaptation of one of the biggest video game franchises of all time, The Legend of Zelda, sending another one of Nintendo’s IPs to the big screen. Video game adaptations are (once again) seeing a massive resurgence, with recent releases like HBO’s The Last of Us and Netflix’s Arcane upping the bar for storytelling and world-building. Not to be outdone, even Nintendo joined the fray with 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which, despite mixed reviews, went on to become a box-office smash, bringing in USD $1.36 billion globally and setting a Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing video game film ever.
Now, the Japanese gaming giant is hoping to strike gold again with another of its acclaimed IPs, bringing Link’s epic adventure to life in a whole new way. Wes Ball, best known for directing the Maze Runner trilogy and 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is heading up the upcoming live-action feature adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, which Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment will jointly fund. Seeing as the film recently entered production and the work is still in its early stages, there’s a lot we don’t know; nevertheless, thanks to new details shared by both Ball and Nintendo, we have a rough sense of what’s in the works. So, here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Legend of Zelda film.
The Legend of Zelda Movie Release Date
We won’t have to wait too long to see Hyrule in all its glory, as The Legend of Zelda movie is all set to be released on May 7, 2027. The film’s release date was previously announced in March, but creator Shigeru Miyamoto pushed it back to May 7, clarifying that the extra time was needed to “make the film as good as it can be.”
The Legend of Zelda Movie Cast
There’s currently not much known about the cast of The Legend of Zelda movie, aside from the two currently confirmed leads. Instead of going with household names, Nintendo has tapped two promising young talents to play Link and Zelda. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, best known for voicing the titular character in Disney’s live-action Pinocchio, will star as Link, while Princess Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason, who you may recognize from 2017’s BBC One drama Three Girls.
Aside from these, Nintendo is keeping the rest of the cast under lock and key and it’s still unclear which characters from the franchise will show up or who will play them. Here’s the current cast list for The Legend of Zelda movie:
- Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link
- Bo Bragaso as Princess Zelda
What Will Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda Movie Be About
Nintendo is also keeping the plot for The Legend of Zelda adaptation a big secret (no surprises there) and so far, no official synopsis or logline has been shared. Moreover, there are no trailers or teasers to go by; however, it’s safe to assume that the upcoming film adaptation will likely feature an original story and could draw on thematic elements from Zelda’s various games.
Much like The Super Mario Bros. Movie before it, the plot for The Legend of Zelda film will most probably see Link and Zelda joining forces as they set out to save Hyrule from an impending threat. We may also get to see some other familiar faces from the franchise. As per a recent listing from ProductionList, it looks like Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda movie is now in production, with filming taking place in Wellington, New Zealand, from November 4, 2025, to April 7, 2026. However, take all of this with heaps of salt, as Nintendo has yet to confirm anything.
If you’ve played the games, you’ll know Link as a member of the elf-like Hylian race and a fearless young hero destined to protect Hyrule. He usually gets joined by Princess Zelda, the Hylian ruler and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. Their arch nemesis is often Ganon, a power-hungry warlord turned demon king who wants to claim the Triforce for himself and plunge the world into chaos.
Director Wes Ball, who’s an avid Zelda fan himself, also dropped a few hints about his plans for the movie and how he intends to tie everything together. While speaking with Total Film, he shared that he has been toying with the idea of a Zelda movie “for a long time,” calling it a project he wants to treat with care and ambition. “I have this awesome idea. I’ve been thinking about it for a long freakin’ time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be… I want to fulfill people’s greatest desires,” Ball said. “I know it’s important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape.” Wes went on to say that the goal is to find a balance between tone and spirit, adding, “That’s the thing I want to try to create – it’s got to feel like something real. Something serious and cool, but fun and whimsical.”
Moreover, during a Reddit AMA, Ball also shared some of the guiding ideas he’s bringing from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, saying, “Keep the money on the screen. Be ambitious. Be confident in the talent around you. Try to do something great.” Even Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida vaguely teased about the film’s plot, billing it as “an amazing tale of adventure and discovery.”
For now, though, it’s anyone’s guess what story The Legend of Zelda film adaptation will tell and whether Nintendo will pull from one of the older games (perhaps Majora’s Mask) or come up with an entirely new story.
Are There Other Films Like The Legend of Zelda?
While you wait for Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda movie to hit the screens, you can check out other popular video game adaptations like HBO’s The Last of Us, as well as Arcane, The Witcher, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch or Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix.
