NintendoNintendo is officially bringing the Legend of Zelda to the big screen, and the live-action movie finally has a release date and its leading stars.
The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s longest-running and most popular video game franchises. The latest entry in the canon, 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom, sold over 10 million copies after only three days on shelves.
These sales figures, coupled with the box office-busting success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, left many fans convinced a cinematic adaptation was on the horizon.
However, their hopes were seemingly dashed in June 2023, after Super Mario Bros. Movie producer Chris Meledandri shot down rumors that an animated Legend of Zelda film was in development.
NintendoFortunately for the franchise’s devotees, this wasn’t the end of the story, and Legend of Zelda co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto announced on X in November 2023 that Nintendo is partnering with Arad Productions and Sony Pictures to produce a live-action Legend of Zelda movie.
Nintendo followed up Miyamoto’s initial announcement with a blog post filled with additional details about the project, and even more information has surfaced online since then.
So, read on to learn everything we know about the Legend of Zelda movie.
Is there a Legend of Zelda movie release date?
The Legend of Zelda movie will be released worldwide on March 26, 2027.
This was confirmed via Nintendo Today on March 28, 2025, coming after it was reported that the project was aiming for a release window between 2025 and 2029.
While Miyamoto confirmed that he and producer Avi Arad have been working on the project for “many years” at this point, he was also quick to clarify that the live-action Legend of Zelda movie has only just entered development.
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As such, it’s reasonable to assume that the Legend of Zelda is still in the early stages of pre-production, and cameras aren’t likely to roll anytime soon.
Live-action Legend of Zelda movie cast
After months of speculation, we finally got word on the two leading stars on July 16, 2025.
Bo Bragason is set to portray Zelda while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth takes up the mantle as Link.
21-year-old Bragason has appeared in four films and six television shows, with one even giving a little crossover into the gaming industry. The English actress provided motion capture for Young Luna in Final Fantasy XV’s tie-in movie, Kingsglaive.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Ainsworth got his break as Miles Wingrave in The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix. He later voiced Pinocchio in Robert Zemeckis’ 2022 live-action remake.
For the time being, that’s all we know about the cast of the live-action Legend of Zelda film. There’s no quite telling what other characters will make an appearance, though Ganon is surely a lock. We’ll just have to wait and see who gets that role, along with all the rest.
Who is writing and directing the Legend of Zelda movie?
Director Wes Ball will helm the Legend of Zelda live-action movie. His previous credits include the Maze Runner trilogy, as well as the most recent Planet of the Apes film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Prior to establishing himself as a director, Ball worked as a VFX artist, and this familiarity with CGI is presumably part of the reason why Nintendo hired him for what is likely to be an effects-heavy production.
Ball will reportedly work from a script penned by Jurassic World screenwriter Derek Connolly. Nintendo’s blog post also emphasizes that the video game company will be “deeply involved” in shaping the live-action Legend of Zelda adaptation, which suggests that both Ball and Connolly will receive plenty of notes from Miyamoto and other senior Nintendo executives as they hammer out the story.
Legend of Zelda movie plot: What will it be about?
Nintendo hasn’t shared any details about the Legend of Zelda movie’s plot.
As such, it’s unclear whether the film will serve as a direct retelling of one or more previous entries in the video game canon, or tell an entirely new story inspired by the franchise’s characters and world.
NintendoEven so, previous comments by Miyamoto indicate the latter scenario is more likely than the former, as the legendary game designer isn’t big on literal video game adaptations. “Just following the plot points of the video games will never work as a movie,”
Miyamoto said in an April 2023 interview. “Without the involvement of the player, it won’t meet expectations.”
We’ll keep this space updated with plot details when they arrive.
Does the live-action Legend of Zelda movie have a trailer yet?
With no Legend of Zelda movie cast members currently in place, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the video game adaptation doesn’t yet have a trailer.
There’s no word from Nintendo or Sony Pictures regarding when fans will get their first glimpse at the live-action version of Hyrule and its inhabitants, but it’s probably a while off.
NintendoProduction of the film only officially got underway in November 2023, and shooting hasn’t even started. So, don’t expect to see a trailer until 2025 at the earliest.
