The Legend of Zelda: Everything We Know About the Live-Action Movie

The Legend of Zelda live-action movie is successful progressive improvement astatine Nintendo and Sony Pictures for a March 2027 release. It’s aboriginal days yet for the hotly anticipated diagnostic movie adaptation of the blockbuster video crippled franchise – which, aft years of rumors, was officially announced successful November 2023 – truthful here’s what we cognize for definite astir the movie truthful far.

Who Is Making The Legend of Zelda Movie?

The movie is being produced by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad, president of Arad Productions and erstwhile laminitis and CEO of Marvel Studios. Sony Pictures Entertainment volition grip theatrical organisation successful summation to co-financing the movie with Nintendo. Jurassic World’s Derek Connolly is penning the screenplay.

Wes Ball, who made the Maze Runner movies and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is directing Zelda. As if helium was fated to onshore the job, Ball really tweeted astir wanting to marque a Zelda movie mode backmost successful 2010.

At that time, Ball said helium envisioned his Zelda arsenic being different mo-cap endeavor similar James Cameron’s Avatar. More recently, the filmmaker said helium wants his Legend of Zelda to beryllium “this awesome fantasy-adventure movie that isn’t similar Lord of the Rings, it’s its ain thing. I've ever said, I would emotion to spot a live-action Miyazaki. That wonderment and whimsy that helium brings to things, I would emotion to spot thing similar that."

In a aboriginal interview, Ball backed disconnected of his 2010 conception of making it a mo-cap movie. In May 2024, Ball said making an each mo-cap Zelda movie “probably isn't his choice” since helium was conscionable coming disconnected of the CG-heavy KIngdom of the Planet of the Apes. Ball’s purpose is to marque Legend of Zelda consciousness "grounded" and "real." He added, “We're moving hard, and we're gonna marque thing great."

Ball has besides said: "I privation to fulfil people's top desires. I cognize it's important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people, and I privation it to beryllium a superior movie. A existent movie that tin springiness radical an escape. … [The movie has] "to consciousness similar thing real. Something superior and chill but amusive and whimsical."

A dice hard Zelda instrumentality who said helium grew up connected the franchise, Ball unintentionally stirred up different fans erstwhile helium refused to archer IGN past twelvemonth what his favourite Zelda crippled was.

Who Will Star successful The Legend of Zelda?

No 1 has been formed yet but The Sixth Sense’s Haley Joel Osment expressed his tendency to onshore a relation successful the Zelda movie erstwhile helium appeared connected IGN Arcade. Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer has expressed involvement successful playing Princess Zelda.

Euphoria prima Hunter Schafer is simply a instrumentality of the Nintendo series, saying, “I emotion the game, personally. I played it arsenic a kid and I inactive play it now. Who knows! That would beryllium beauteous cool.” pic.twitter.com/lDNB1BkEqJ

What Do Fans Think of Zelda Being a Live-Action Movie?

Fan absorption erstwhile the movie was officially announced backmost successful November 2023 was swift and opinionated. Some took umbrage astatine Avi Arad – the erstwhile brag of Marvel Studios who besides produced Ghost successful the Shell and the aboriginal Spider-Man movies – being progressive (“Can't judge they were capable to get the shaper of the deed movie Morbius!!”). Others weren’t thrilled by the enactment of Wes Ball to direct.

The determination to marque the Legend of Zelda a live-action movie was met with trepidation: “People tin accidental Zelda crippled doesn't enactment successful unrecorded enactment but enactment films person hardly ever relied connected deep, analyzable plots to prosecute people.” “Animated would person been the mode to spell if you inquire me.”

IGN editors besides expressed their thoughts astir wherefore Zelda should beryllium an animated movie alternatively of live-action. “And portion hand-drawn creation whitethorn beryllium the champion acceptable for a Zelda movie successful my opinion, determination are plentifulness of animation styles that would service arsenic a amended conveyance for Zelda than live-action,” IGN’s Logan Plant wrote astatine the clip the movie was announced.

“Think astir each the gorgeous animated projects we’ve seen successful the past respective years: Puss successful Boots: The Last Wish, Dragon Quest: Your Story, the Castlevania anime, oregon adjacent a claymation look travel to caput arsenic ocular styles that would perfectly suit the fantastic satellite of Hyrule. I tin visualize what each these versions of Hyrule would look like, but I can’t accidental the aforesaid happening astir live-action.”

“There are truthful galore oddities successful Zelda that travel crossed arsenic charming erstwhile animated, but could easy beryllium seen arsenic off-putting erstwhile done successful live-action. This is simply a franchise wherever a literal tremendous pig is the main villain, aft all. But Zelda is besides afloat of astonishing horrors, from zombies that wrapper their full bodies astir Link to effort and termination him, to disembodied elephantine hands that swoop down from the ceiling. I person a hard clip seeing a batch of Zelda enemies marque it into a live-action movie without earnestly frightening the small ones.”

IGN’s Matt Kim besides opined astatine the clip that it would beryllium “a trap” if Nintendo and Ball tried to accommodate Breath of the Wild for the metallic screen: “If you’re going to marque a Zelda movie, I’d accommodate 1 of the games wherever the communicative is simply a spot much center-stage, whether it’s the pirate adventures of Wind Waker, the classical sword and sorcery of A Link to the Past, oregon arguably the astir cinematic Zelda crippled of all-time, Twilight Princess.”

“Game devs person marveled astatine the powerfulness of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom’s engineering, calling the mode its systems interact with each different near-magic. It’s not conscionable showing audiences Link’s chill abilities but playing wrong an full world, with its ain laws of quality that conscionable simply cannot beryllium conveyed by looking astatine a surface alone. While determination are plentifulness of amusive moments a Breath of the Wild movie could see arsenic amusive easter eggs — similar Link discovering helium gets a stat bonus erstwhile helium cooks during the humor satellite for illustration — the game’s consciousness of find tin ne'er genuinely beryllium captured connected camera. … Breath of the Wild turns players into theoretical physicists, experimenting with however the interlocking rules of the crippled play disconnected 1 different – which, unless the manager plans connected making a movie akin to Oppenheimer, would marque for not a lousy Zelda movie.”

For their part, the filmmakers admit the hazard inherent successful making a live-action Zelda movie. "Regarding the live-action movie of The Legend of Zelda, I cognize we look an highly precocious hurdle successful producing a movie that volition not disappoint the planetary instrumentality base," Shigeru Miyamoto told Nintendo investors during a Q&A successful November 2023. Miyamoto added that helium had been processing the Zelda movie with Arad for 10 years anterior to the authoritative announcement.

When Will the Legend of Zelda Be Released?

Sony Pictures volition merchandise The Legend of Zelda successful theaters connected March 26, 2027. In bid to marque that date, fans should expect filming to commence successful 2026 oregon possibly adjacent precocious this twelvemonth to let for capable post-production clip to propulsion of the film’s ocular effects.

Where Can I Watch the Legend of Zelda Movie Trailer?

There isn’t 1 arsenic thing has been filmed yet. However, IGN pranked the Internet connected April Fool’s Day 2008 erstwhile we released a faux live-action Zelda movie trailer (which tin beryllium viewed below). Until there’s a existent movie trailer to watch, ours volition person to do:

Who bash you deliberation should play Link, Zelda and different cardinal characters successful the upcoming movie? Let america cognize successful the comments.