The ‘Legend of Zelda’ Movie Has Cast Its Two Main Characters
Video game fans have loved the "Legend of Zelda" series for decades. The series follows the titular princess and under most circumstances features Link as the player character.
Link is often tasked with saving Zelda or working with her to prevent villains like Ganon from conquering their home of Hyrule.
The series has been a mainstay on Nintendo consoles for many years, beginning with the first game on the NES in the 1980s. Entries have featured on each subsequent Nintendo console, with the most recent releases being the Nintendo Switch 2 editions of "Breath of the Wild" and "Tears of the Kingdom."
The "Zelda" games are considered cornerstones for Nintendo, along with "Pokemon" and "Super Mario." Each of those franchises has had their time on the silver screen, and the "Zelda" games will get the big-budget treatment in 2027.
Nintendo has revealed the actors who will play Link and Zelda in the upcoming film.
Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's game director and one of the creators of the "Zelda" franchise, announced the castings on social media Wednesday.
This is Miyamoto. 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. I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/KA5XW3lwul
— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) July 16, 2025
Bo Bragason will play Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play Link in the film, which is set to release on May 7, 2027.
Miyamoto said that he was excited to see both actors in the film, and he shared photos that show each of them in their costumes for the movie.
Bragason is best known for her roles on the Disney+ series “Renegade Nell," the film “The Radleys” and BBC's 2017 series "Three Girls."
Ainsworth most recently appeared in this year's “Everything’s Going to be Great” with acclaimed actors Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney. He also voiced the titular character in the 2022 remake of “Pinocchio."
Wes Ball, known for his work on the "Maze Runner" trilogy of book adaptations, will direct. The film will be co-produced by Sony and Nintendo, an interesting pairing from the two dominant video game manufacturers.
2023's animated "Super Mario Bros." movie was co-produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was a commercial success, making over $1.3 billion at the box office.
We'll see if the same is in store for "The Legend of Zelda" after an iconic run on video game consoles.