Lead cast announced for The Legend of Zelda live-action film, coming May 2027

The lead actors, along with an expected release date, were announced Wednesday for the live-action film of the popular Nintendo game,The Legend of Zelda. 

The announcement from Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s representative director and renowned video game designer, was posted on X.

Link, the main protagonist, will be played by English actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, while English actress Bo Bragason will play Princess Zelda.

The film will be an adaptation of the Nintendo game launched in 1986. The Legend of Zelda is set in the kingdom of Hyrule, a fantasy world where Link and Zelda attempt to save the kingdom from the evil Ganon.

Ainsworth is known for his starring role as Mark Critch in the Canadian comedy series Son of a Critch. He has also played Miles in the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor, William in Disney’s Flora & Ulysses, and the voice of Pinocchio in Disney’s live-action remake.

Bragason is best known for her roles as Roxy Trotter in Disney’s Renegade Nell, and for her roles in the two BBC One series, The Jetty and Three Girls.

“I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen,” wrote Miyamoto, one of the film’s producers and one of the Zelda franchise co-creators, on X.

In the same post, he confirmed that the film is set to release in theatres on May 7, 2027. It was originally announced for March 26, 2027, but was later delayed by Nintendo.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is co-financing and distributing the film, which will be directed by Wes Ball, director of last year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Miyamoto is producing it alongside studio executive and producer Avi Arad, the founder and former CEO of Marvel Studios.