For longtime fans of The Legend of Zelda, the idea of a live-action movie has always lived in that space between wishful thinking and internet myth.
That energy dates all the way back to 2008, when IGN dropped an April Fool’s trailer that looked so polished, so unexpectedly cinematic, that thousands of fans wondered if Nintendo secretly greenlit a blockbuster.
It wasn’t real—but it left the blueprint.
Fast forward to now, and the joke has officially become reality.
Nintendo and Sony Pictures just shared the first images from their upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda adaptation at Variety, giving fans their earliest look at the new faces behind two of gaming’s most iconic characters.
The photos, released through the Nintendo Today app, show actors Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth stepping into the roles of Princess Zelda and Link.
The duo is shown standing in an open green field, dressed in costumes that reflect the franchise’s most recognizable details—bows, blades, and pointed Hylian ears included.
Wes Ball, known for directing The Maze Runner series and this year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is leading the film. Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto is producing, marking a rare crossover between the company’s internal creative leadership and a major Hollywood studio.
Over the summer, Miyamoto personally announced the casting, writing, “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.”
Bragason brings experience from BBC One’s Three Girls, Disney+’s Renegade Nell, and the vampire comedy The Radleys. Ainsworth’s credits include voicing Disney’s live-action Pinocchio and appearing in Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Sandman.
Their pairing marks the franchise’s first-ever live-action interpretation, a move that Nintendo has historically avoided despite decades of demand.
The film arrives on the heels of a massive year for the franchise. According to IGN, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has surpassed 18 million units sold, and its creative leads previously expressed interest in seeing the series transition to film, following the runaway success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Plot details and additional casting remain under wraps, but with the movie set to hit theaters on May 7, 2027, this first look signals that Hyrule’s long-awaited live-action debut is officially underway.
And for the fans who remember that 2008 trailer: this time, it’s not a trick.