Nintendo announced their third live-action film in November 2023: a film adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. The live-action Zelda movie is based on the iconic adventures of Link in the Legend of Zelda games since 1986 on the NES. This movie aims to bring the exciting adventures of Link and the world of Hyrule to the big screen for the first time in live action.
This movie will be different from other live-action movies, because the Zelda adaptation is aiming to create a cinematic universe with its own version of Hyrule showing its beauty, scale and great atmosphere. Previous video game adaptations often struggled with an inconsistent focus on the story and only using the basic plot of the original game like Nintendo’s first attempt at a live-action film in 1993 with the Super Mario Bros. movie. Nintendo is slowly but surely releasing information about the Zelda adaptation, while fans remain skeptical about the film being live-action instead of an animated movie.
Since the announcement Nintendo has shared details about the cast, filming locations, a theatrical release date, early footage, and more. In this article we will cover everything we know about the movie so far as of January 2026.
PrimeBox (Quick Facts)
– Filming began in November 2025 in New Zealand
– Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason star as Link and Zelda
– First official images were released in November 2025
– The movie is scheduled for release on May 7, 2027
What is the Legend of Zelda?
The Legend of Zelda is a hugely popular action-adventure franchise from Nintendo about the hero Link, Princess Zelda and the villain Ganon. The game is set in the fantasy kingdom of Hyrule where Link has to save the princess of Hyrule, Zelda by exploring the world, solving puzzles, defeating dangerous foes, and make his way through thrilling dungeons.
The Legend of Zelda may be one of Nintendo’s most worthy franchises to get a release on the big screen, because of the rich lore of the series, iconic characters, expansive quests, and the classic fantasy theme. A lot of people compare the world of Zelda to movie franchises like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, making Zelda a natural fit for a movie adaptation.
In November 2023 Nintendo revealed that there will be a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie in partnership with Sony Pictures.
Read our list of the top 10 best Zelda Games!
What is the plot of the movie?
While Nintendo has confirmed an original story, many plot details remain speculative. Nintendo confirmed that the Legend of Zelda Movie will be inspired by the story of the Zelda Games and will stay close to the original source material. It is not clear as of today which game the plot of the movie will be inspired most by. Nintendo has stated that the movie will have its own original story while still capturing that ‘special feeling’ of a Zelda story in the games. A lot of fans are speculating about the potential plot with some people thinking the iconic Triforce will play an important role, while others think it will be much like the plot of Breath of the Wild.
The description of the movie as of January 2026 on IMDB notes the following: ‘A live-action adaptation of the video game franchise. ‘The Legend of Zelda’ follows Link, a young warrior destined to protect the magical kingdom of Hyrule from the forces of darkness. The land is under threat from Ganon, a ruthless warlord who seeks the Triforce-an ancient relic said to grant limitless power. To stop him, Link must embark on a perilous journey, battling monstrous creatures, exploring treacherous dungeons, and solving intricate puzzles to uncover sacred artifacts that can aid him in his quest.‘
The production and status of the Zelda movie
In November of 2025 the Zelda movie officially entered pre-production and is now fully casted. The movie is now being filmed in Wellington, New Zealand where the Lord of the Rings also was shot. Lord of the Rings is praised for its stunning landscapes and locations which give fans high hopes for the look of Hyrule in the movie which is filmed in the same country. This can give Hyrule a beautiful large scale just like the Lord of the Rings movies which were praised by the the wonderful looking world in the film. According to crew of the movie they started with shooting on November 4th 2025 and will continue until April 7th 2026.
First images
After some sneaky shots by passers made on the filming location of the movie that leaked online, Nintendo finally revealed the first images of the movie on the Nintendo Today app in November of 2025.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link
Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda
Hyrule Fields (New Zealand)
The director
The Zelda Movie will be directed by Wes Ball. Wes is an American movie director and producer and is best known for his work on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015), and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018). The director has an amazing vision for the Zelda movie wanting to fulfill people’s greatest desires and make a serious movie / world people can really escape in, he told in an interview with Total Film.
Ball said in an interview that he is envisioning a Studio Ghibli aesthetic for the film. The Studio Ghibli films are praised for their gorgeous landscapes and stunning art, which can make a big impact in the looks of the Zelda movie. Wes also has a lot of experience in making fantasy / science movies with the well received Maze Runner movies he previously directed. This is why people regard him as a great choice to direct the Zelda adaptation.
The Zelda Movie cast
In July of 2025 Nintendo revealed the first cast of the new Zelda Movie being Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Zelda. The cast was revealed by Shigeru Miyamoto on X who is very much looking forward to seeing the actors on the big screen. Nintendo casted two lesser known actors for the lead roles of Link and Zelda making fans speculate about the rest of the cast who have not been announced.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Link)
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is a British actor born September 25, 2008. He is known best for his roles on The Haunting Of Bly Manor (2020), Flora & Ulysses (2021), and Pinocchio (2022). Benjamin is now 17 years old, making him around the same age as Link his biological age in most Zelda games like adult Link in Ocarina of Time, and Link in Breath of the Wild.
A lot of fans thought that Nintendo made the right decision casting Benjamin for the role of Link, because of his look being similar to the games, and because Nintendo is giving a lesser known actor a chance at role. Unlike the animated The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) where the whole cast was filled with known celebreties like Chris Pratt (Mario) and Jack Black (Bowser).
Bo Bragason (Zelda)
Bo Bragason is a British actress born March 27, 2004. She is best known for her roles on Renegade Nell (2024), The Radleys (2024), and Censor (2021). Bo is now 21 years old, making her older then the Princess Zelda in the games who is around 16/17 years old.
Just like with the casting of Link fans are happy that Bo was casted for Zelda because she is also a lesser known actress. A lot of fans fan-casted Hunter Schafer the role of Zelda, but a lot of fans online are also glad that Hunter did not get the role because of online discussion surrounding the actress.
The release date of the Zelda Movie
In June of 2025 Nintendo delayed the Zelda movie from the original March, 2027 release date. Miyamoto announced on social media that the movie needs more production time.
The Zelda movie is now set to release in American theaters on May 7, 2027 (as of January 2026).
What is to be announced for the Zelda Movie?
The Zelda movie is still in early production, here is some key information on what is still to be announced:
- The full cast – its not clear as of this date who is playing Ganondorf and everybody else starring in the Zelda movie
- More footage – fans are hoping for new footage of the movie soon and especially from more characters playing in the movie
- The first trailer – fans are suspecting the first trailer anytime soon as they are now filming the new movie
- More official plot information – the plot information available today is still simple and unclear if there will be changes
- And more
We will update this article if there is more information revealed about the movie, so make sure to keep checking back regularly to see new reveals and news about the movie!
Last updated January 2026
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