Nintendo dropped the first official set photos for The Legend of Zelda live-action movie, showing Link and Zelda in action.
Experience Hyrule in a whole new way…or New Zealand. Nintendo officially revealed the first photos from The Legend of Zelda live-action movie set. The photos show Bo Bragason (Zelda) and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Link) fully donning the video game series’ titular and main character. The images were posted on the Nintendo Today app, marking the start of the film’s production—despite leaked photos already surfacing over the past weekend.
The Legend of Zelda live-action movie began production in New Zealand earlier this month, a few months after the cast list was announced by Nintendo and Arad Productions. The movie is set to be released on May 7th, 2027, and will be directed by Wes Ball (Maze Runner trilogy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes). In one interview, Ball stated he wanted to make the movie “something serious and cool, but fun and whimsical.” He added in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that his vision for the movie was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli works.
Shigeru Miyamoto dropped some words to go along with the first look photos as well. The translation roughly stated: “Filming is on track for the film’s release on May 7, 2027. It will take a while until the release, so we would be grateful if you would wait patiently and look forward to it.”
Crazily enough, the moment Nintendo revealed that the film would be shooting in New Zealand, social media went straight to work. Leaked set photos emerged over the weekend, already showing the two stars on set. Fans also believe Severance star Dichen Lachman has been cast as Zelda’s trusty aide Impa, though there’s no official confirmation of that today. In the official photos released today, it simply showed the live-action Zelda sporting blue robes like she is in Breath of the Wild. Meanwhile, Ainsworth’s Link looked to be closer to the protagonist’s in Twilight Princess, rocking a dark green tunic.
Reportedly, The Legend of Zelda live-action could be one of three films. According to movie insider Daniel Richtman, all major acting roles were/will be signed for three films planned to be released over six years. This could mean that a movie drops every two years between 2027 and 2033, which could work in tandem with the Mario movies. Nintendo already noted they plan to release movies on a more regular basis, following the success of The Super Mario Bros Movie. The second film, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is already set to release in 2026.
With so few official looks at more of the set, the fans and I can only continue to speculate about The Legend of Zelda live-action film. So far, it appears that all we can deduce is that the production team may be doing what Sony tried to do with the Uncharted adaptation, creating a mixture of timelines across The Legend of Zelda games. It could also be possible that they are creating a whole new story entirely. Nothing has leaked about who will play Ganondorf, and I am very interested to know—as I am a Ganondorf main in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
