What is the Zelda movie release date? Zelda and Link are coming to the big screen! We’re eager, but also more than a little nervous. Here’s all the news about the Nintendo adaptation.
After the smash hit success of the videogame The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its even better sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, it’s an exciting time for Hyrule explorers. But who’s making what we hope could be one of the best video game movies, and can it match the hype for the likes of The Last of Us season 2?
Zelda movie release date speculation
The Zelda movie is unlikely to be released before 2027, but it was officially confirmed on November 7, 2023.
Nintendo announced the live-action The Legend of Zelda film is in development and will be produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director and Fellow of Nintendo, and mega-hit producer Avi Arad, Chairman of Arad Productions Inc.
Nintendo also confirmed it will be active in the development: “By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible.”
On X, Miyamoto shared the film will “take time until its competition,” which hints we’ve got a significant wait ahead of us — that’s totally okay if it leads to a better movie.
It’s fair to say the success of videogame adaptations like The Last of Us and the Super Mario movie in recent years likely added fuel to this fire. Given the audience for Zelda is mostly adults, we hope there will be an emphasis on making a quality adaptation, which didn’t necessarily happen with Mario…
Who will be in the Zelda movie cast?
No names have been confirmed for the Zelda movie cast yet, however, we have a good idea of which characters will be in it and need actors.
Firstly, there’s Link and Zelda: the heroes and main characters in the games. The antagonist in most Zelda games is Ganondorf, an evil shape-shifting prince of darkness. He’s basically the Bowser to Link and Zelda’s Mario and Peach.
The supporting characters could be Tingle, Link’s helper and guide, alongside other possible inclusions like Impa and Tetra. These are just some of the best Zelda characters.
As for who would play them; we took to myCast to check out who fans have been voting for on the fan-cast website. The top vote for Link was Thomas Brodie Sangster, who is known for his chops and smaller physicality, a good fit then.
As for Zelda, gamers suggest Saoirse Ronan for the role. We’ll never say no to the Irish actor, but we also would throw Hunter Schafer’s name in the ring, since she really has that ethereal blonde thing going on.
Realistically, with Chris Pratt helping Mario’s box office despite the initial backlash to his casting, Nintendo might follow the dollar bills on the ground straight to the door of someone similar in Hollywood.
What will the Zelda movie be about?
The Legend of Zelda movie could adapt Breath of the Wild, but we don’t know the specific story yet.
In Breath of the Wild, Link must travel throughout Hyrule to reawaken his memories, find Zelda, and defeat Ganondorf as his darkness spreads through the land. And Tears of the Kingdom has the same broad strokes.
In the games, Link is usually on a quest to save or recover Zelda in some way. That might be a little predictable for the movie, so perhaps we could have Zelda be a little more involved in the beat-by-beat story this time.
Either way, expect a fight against dark forces and a touching dynamic between our two heroes at the center of it.
Zelda movie trailer speculation
We could get a Zelda trailer in 2026, but there’s not even a release date for the movie yet, so we won’t know for a while.
If a 2027-ish slate holds true for the film, we’d expect our first footage by the end of 2026, and a full trailer closer to release.
If you’ve never played the games, you can see the video below to get a sense of the majestic world it takes place in. Just don’t blame us if the relaxing scenery and music land you in 100+ hours of gameplay.
Where can I watch the Zelda movie?
The Legend of Zelda will almost certainly be released exclusively in theaters, just like Mario.
Mario was such a mega-hit at the box office (it’s one of the highest-grossing movies ever) that there’s no way Zelda will be going straight to streaming: there’s too much financial potential.
That’s it for now, but we can’t wait to paraglide into cinema seats for this one. For more new movies, check out our guide to the Super Mario Movie 2 release date and the Detective Pikachu 2 release date, as well as Pocket Tactics’ guide to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Zonai. Then, take a peek at our best movies of all time.