In his official statement, Miyamoto said (via translation): “This is Miyamoto. 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.” In a follow-up post, he added that “The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 7, 2027. Thank you for your patience.”
Bragaon and Ainsworth don’t have enough respective screen experience for most mainstream viewers to readily compare them to the characters of Link or Zelda. Ainsworth will probably be a familiar face, as he played the young version of Alex Burgess, son of the magician Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance), the man who captures Lord Dream and imprisons him for years. His work in Pinocchio was substantial (voicing the titular character), but wasn’t the sort of onscreen performance that fans will be able to weigh against his potential prowess at playing Link. Ironically enough, recent Zelda game installments (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom on Nintendo Switch) have seriously leaned into the classic trope of Link being a silent protagonist whose only forms of communication are wide-eyed facial expressions and various battle or panicked cries depending on the situation. That’s all to say: Ainsworth has a wide canvas to paint a whole new depiction of Link โ and hopefully one that’s less smarmy than the ’90s animated series version of the character.
The casting of Bragason as Zelda will be far more controversial for a lot of the Zelda fandom: Since this movie was first announced (in some cases even before that), there was an impassioned fan-driven campaign to cast actress Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo) as Zelda. The Euphoria star has broken many new boundaries as a trans actress who has broken through to have pop-culture fame and influence, and The Legend of Zelda was being looked at as another possible milestone achievement for her. However, championing one actor’s rise shouldn’t be a cause for slamming another actor’s breakout. Bragason is definitely still ‘carving out her lane’ as an actress, so to speak, having done some of her most extensive recent work in the family comedy-horror film The Radleys; that film saw her playing a teen vampire struggling to conform to her parents’ bloodless lifestyle. From the picture Nintendo posted, it’s clear Bragaon has that ethereal look that fans associate with Zelda, with a natural air that will make the princess (and any of her alter-egos) feel grounded and real.
Of course, the real testament will be the first screen tests of these two actors in costume.
The Legend of Zelda has a release date of May 7, 2027.
