The Legend of Zelda live-action film announces cast for Zelda and Link

The film is expected to be released on 7 May 2027

The live-action Legend of Zelda film from Nintendo and Sony has cast its leads for the roles of Zelda and Link.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Nintendo boss Shigeru Miyamoto shared that British actors Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will be starring in the film as the titular Zelda and Link, respectively.

“I am pleased to announce that for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason-san, and Link by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, via Nintendo’s official account. “I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen.”

Bragason’s most recent screen credit is the forthcoming BBC One series King and Conqueror, also starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. She is best known for her roles in the BBC One series Three Girls and The Jetty, and also had a main role in Disney+’s Renegade Nell, playing Roxy Trotter alongside Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland.

Ainsworth voiced Pinocchio in Robert Zemeckis’ live-action Pinocchio in 2022, and played young Miles Wingrave in Mike Flanagan's The Haunting of Bly Manor. He has also been in the Canadian comedy series Son of a Critch and the films All Fun and Games and Everything’s Going to Be Great.

The video game company first announced in 2023 that it would be working with Sony Pictures to adapt its action-adventure title for the big screen, with an expected release date of 7 May 2027.

The live-action Legend of Zelda film from Nintendo and Sony has cast its leads for the roles of Zelda and Link, with British actors Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth in the respective roles (Getty Images)

Immediately following the news, fans began calling for Euphoria star Hunter Schafer to be cast as Zelda due to her uncanny likeness to the Hylian elf princess.

Schafer expressed interest in the role, telling Entertainment Tonight in 2023 that it would be “so cool.”

“I played that video game a bunch when I was a kid. That’s such a good game,” she said.

Created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda was first released in Japan in 1986 on Nintendo’s Famicom Disk System. The game, which is set in the fictional world of Hyrule, takes players on a journey alongside Princess Zelda and adventurous swordsman Link as they fight to save their homeland.

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The Legend of Zelda has since expanded into an extensive franchise, which includes several other titles like Twilight Princess , Breath of the Wild , Tears of the Kingdom and Ocarina of Time (Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda has since expanded into an extensive franchise, which includes several other titles like Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom and Ocarina of Time.

Director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) is attached to helm the live-action movie. Miyamoto previously confirmed that he will be co-producing it with Avi Arad.

“This is Miyamoto. I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films,” Miyamoto wrote at the time.

“I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it.”

With a live-action Zelda, Nintendo looks to build on its previous successes. In 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie proved one of the biggest hits of the year, grossing over a billion dollars at the box office. The animated film, which starred Chris Pratt, became the highest-grossing film based on a video game.