‘The Legend of Zelda’ Live-Action Movie: Release Date & Everything We Know

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The Legend of Zelda is a hugely popular and highly praised video game series, and now it’s being made into a movie. Since 1986, when the first Legend of Zelda game came out on Nintendo consoles, players have enjoyed following the adventures of Link and Princess Zelda as they work to protect the kingdom of Hyrule.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting a movie based on The Legend of Zelda, and now, after 31 years as a popular video game series, it’s finally happening! The huge success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023 has shown Hollywood how valuable video game stories can be. Nintendo, in particular, seems poised to become the next big cinematic universe, similar to Marvel. Here’s everything we currently know about the upcoming Legend of Zelda film.

‘The Legend of Zelda’ Release Date

The movie adaptation of The Legend of Zelda is now scheduled to premiere in theaters on May 7, 2027. It was initially planned for a March 26, 2027 release, but when the release of Avengers: Secret Wars was delayed to December 17, 2028, Sony moved The Legend of Zelda to the earlier date. This means the film will now launch the 2027 summer movie season. Filming began in Wellington, New Zealand, in November 2025 and is expected to wrap up in April 2026.

Work on a Legend of Zelda movie started as early as 2007. Imagi Animation Studio, known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, made a test animation for Nintendo, but it wasn’t approved. Nintendo was cautious about making full-length movies based on their games after the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film. Fast forward to 2023, and Nintendo announced a live-action Legend of Zelda movie, partnering with Sony Pictures for funding and distribution. This partnership is surprising, given Nintendo’s existing relationship with Universal Pictures, which produced The Super Mario Bros. Movie and features Mario-themed areas in Universal Studios parks. It’s also notable because Sony, through PlayStation, is a major competitor to Nintendo in the video game console market.

The Cast and Crew for ‘The Legend of Zelda’

So far, the only confirmed actors for The Legend of Zelda movie are Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda. Ainsworth has appeared in Disney+ films like Flora and Ulysses and Pinocchio, where he played Pinocchio, and currently stars in the sitcom Son of a Critch. Bragason’s previous work includes the horror comedy The Radleys and the role of Queen Gunhild in the BBC miniseries King & Conqueror. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, Dichen Lachman, known for Severance, is widely believed to be playing Impa, a character who first appeared in the original Zelda game.

Wes Ball, known for directing the Maze Runner trilogy and the 2024 film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, will direct the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie. The script is a collaboration between Derek Connolly, who has worked on films like Jurassic World and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, and T.S. Nowlin, who previously worked with Ball on the Maze Runner films, as well as Pacific Rim: Uprising and The Adam Project.

I’m really excited about this movie because Avi Arad is producing! He’s a legend – he used to be the creative head at Marvel and helped launch the movie side of things. Before the MCU as we know it, he was instrumental in getting so many of our favorite heroes onto the big screen, like with Blade, X-Men, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Fantastic Four. He really knows how to bring these characters to life!

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of The Legend of Zelda and a director at Nintendo, shared that he’s been developing a Legend of Zelda movie with Arad. However, some fans are concerned because Arad’s previous video game movie adaptation, 2024’s Borderlands, wasn’t successful with either critics or audiences.

‘The Legend of Zelda’s Story

Details about the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie are still a secret, with Sony Pictures and Nintendo keeping the plot closely guarded. However, early photos of a crumbling Hyrule hint the story might be inspired by recent games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Because the movie shares a title with the original 1986 game, some believe it could be a direct adaptation. It’s also possible the filmmakers will incorporate elements from other beloved titles in the series, such as The Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild.

Don’t expect to see Link from The Legend of Zelda teaming up with Mario on the big screen anytime soon. While The Super Mario Bros. Movie includes many Nintendo characters like Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong, a Super Smash Bros.style movie probably won’t feature Link and Zelda because of how the film rights are split. Sony Pictures is making The Legend of Zelda movie, and Universal Pictures is behind the Super Mario Bros. films. Plus, The Legend of Zelda will be live-action, while the Mario* movies are animated, making a crossover unlikely.

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2026-03-30 19:21