Nintendo Announces First Cast Members For The Legend Of Zelda Movie

Talking about looks…Great casting for Zelda, not sure about Link yet though
About talent … Benjamin is good

About the end product… I’m not so sure about Zelda being turned into a live action movie rather than an anime series ….

Wow... this came out of absolutely freaking nowhere... 🤯

I don’t recognize either person, which is a great thing for many reasons.

oooooooooo, super exicted for this movie!! Great casting choice!! Don't recognize them, is this a good thing or a bad thing?

I guess it could’ve been worse. Could’ve been something like Tom Holland. This being said, I dunno if the guy cast as Link looks that much like Link. Brown hair feels weird for a character who’s historically been blonde outside of the first game.

Not familiar with either, which is fine by me.

But... Link's hair is the wrong colour!

Nice that they seem to be going for the quality of the actor rather than the name recognition. Big Nintendo W in my opinion.

CGI characters and scenery with a fantastic storyline following the games ..... and then computer generate me interested. Just watch the 90s mario film with bob hoskins (R.I.P and no disrespect) and compare it to the modern CGI version.

@Yoshi3 Link in that game is meant to be Blonde. The pink hair was a sprite miscolor. The actual art for the game has him with blonde hair.

Ainsworth was the best in the „Excuuuuse me, Princess!“ challenge.

seems like decent casting, but cannot escape the feeling that this movie is an extraordinarily bad idea

Interesting that they confidently went with young casting. Here’s hoping it works out and they enjoy having these roles attatched to them. The gamer crowd can be incredibly picky and judgmental about female casting and performances in general, so I wish Bo particularly the best.

I’m expecting Ben to perfect the one line he’ll have in the movie.

Hiyaaah!

And the numerous times he’ll randomly roll around in grass.

@Fizza Link and Zelda are both consistently depicted in their late teens. BotW Zelda turned 17 the day the Calamity struck. Ocarina of Time Link is around 10/17 depending on the time. With Bo being 21 and Benjamin being 16 right now, I think they hit right within the age range they wanted.

@Friendly it’s all fun and games till the movie starts with him saying ‘it sure is boring around here’

@SplatRay001 Is Ben a lefthander though?

Or will they have to mirror the whole movie once it’s done?

Good on them for casting relatively unknown actors, and I wish all of them the best. That said, I'm still unable to see a scenario where this film turns out well... Hope I'm very wrong! 🤞🏼

@VoidofLight I find it funny how people think that the color of the protagonist in such a high profile game is somehow a "mistake"
Anyways, where did you get the idea that he was supposed to be blond when he in all accompanying media clearly had brown hair? He also cleraly had brown hair in Zelda II.

@VoidofLight The pink hair in-game was intentional, not a mistake.

Looks like Nintendo wants Zelda to be associated with British accents. It happened first with BOTW, and now with this movie.

@Friendly my guess is they’ll have the theatrical cut as well as a ‘Wii cut’ that re-flips the movie for the home release

Miyamoto is the Bo Selector!

@VoidofLight The pink hair was intentional. It's part of the pallete for the skin when he gets transformed into a bunny.

Cant wait for this movie

Yeah, the fact that I don't recognize these two makes me somewhat optimistic about this now. Who knows, it may actually be a decent watch.

I saw Benjamin Evan Ainsworth in Bly Manor, when he would only have been about 12 or 13. I thought he was very good for a child actor. Not too twee or cutesy. His character alternated between naive innocent and borderline malevolent, which is not easy for any actor to do, let along such young one. Hopefully he'll bring that range to Link.

But will it still be Open World?

I don't know them, and that's actually better. Same as with LOTR, and remember what happened...

I don't know them, which is obviously a good thing.

Now watch Jack Black get cast as Ganon...

@LazyDaisy @Fiskern Read developer interviews on Link to the Past. The pink hair wasn’t intentional and was a consequence of a limited color palette for the Sprite. All the official art of Link in A Link to the Past is depicting Link with blonde hair.

Also, Link only has brown hair in Zelda I and Zelda II’s official art and sprites. Every other depiction of the character ever since A Link to the Past has been Blonde. The closest we got to brown in 3D Zelda is the Hero of Twilight, who has dirty blonde hair.

I'm 99% certain this movie will be terrible, but Benjamin was excellent in Bly Manor so at least there's that. I haven't seen anything the actress for Zelda is in, though she certainly looks the part.

@TheFunkyPhantom It was due to the limited color palette of the sprites. It was a choice that wasn’t intentional, or Link would have been drawn with pink hair in the official artwork for the game.

Fine with going with relative unknowns. Many of the biggest franchises have done that with their leads without any issues, and if you're telling a story where the leads are young then you almost have to. Looking forward to this.

It’s good that the actors are relatively unknown because if it was, say, Tom Holland I would just be thinking ‘Hey! What’s Spider-Man doing with a sword?’

@VoidofLight From what I recall, blonde Link didn’t have enough contrast with his environments, so they chose pink. That makes it intentional. We know it was supposed to be blonde, but that doesn’t make pink a mistake or error. It’s a design choice. I think you’re misunderstanding what everyone is trying to tell you.

The dark hair does throw me off, but the shape of his face and features makes me believe it

I didn’t think Nintendo would want their movie to bomb, so glad these are unrecognizable, love to see new actors and actresses!

Reading some of the famous names lije Tom Holland being bandied about by the fans recently, I don't think people understand that the things they liked them in were 5 filmed years ago, and by the time this is filmed it will be another 3 odd years. Anyone famous will be too old by then. You need younger unknowns to fit the part, and possibly play them for 10 years.

With the rumours that this is planned as a (Tri Force) Trilogy this casting is good news. Could easily start off a bit lighter in tone with the story getting darker as the characters get older.

Relatively unknowns. Hopefully this will continue with the rest of the cast.

Fingers crossed we don't get The Rock as Ganondorf. 😔😬

@LazyDaisy I think that’s a good decision. Personally, at least in English, Mario and co. should sound American (or Italian in Mario & Luigi’s case), Zelda etc. should sound British. There are few things more jarring in European-inspired high fantasy than American accents.

@VoidofLight Pretty sure those images aren't supposed to represent their look in the film. I would be surprised if Link isn't blonde in the film.

I guess all those rumors about the one being eyed to play Zelda were way off. 🤔 I think they made a good pick. She's certainly zelda like.
The guy playing Link does look a bit like him too. Never heard of these two but that's great actually. I won't be horribly crushed by the casting alone. Here's hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

Incidentally who here has heard of that Legend movie starring Tom cruise? I hear it was sorta the inspiration for the original game as well as a little Peter pan.

Please let this movie be at least intertaining. A big hit would be a wonderful surprise but not counting on it.

Honestly, this looks perfect. I’ve never heard of either of them, but that’s cool they’re picking more obscure actors that look perfect for the part. I’m really looking forward to May 2027!

@KoopaTheGamer It’s just strange since the shirt on Link’s actor is the tunic Link usually wears. Maybe they’re going with an adaptation of Zelda I.

I really enjoyed the Super Mario Bros Movie (the original, not the most recent one) back when I was really young, and based on the general consensus for that film, it's likely I'll love this with my bar being so low! 😂

@LazyDaisy I remember hearing it wasn’t intentional and rather a choice made because of how sprites in that era could only have a couple of colors- and that Link’s belt was already purple so the hair accidentally ended up as being purple.

Great casting choice for Link. He's a Yorkshire lad directly from God's own country so 'nough said.

This is good news. Their previous rumored Zelda would have bombed the film. Having not heard of either of these two actors is a massive win for the fans and gives me a little hope this might turn out entertaining. At this point I am (very cautiously) starting to be optimistic.

@PikminMarioKirby I know exactly what you mean and I couldn't agree more.

nintendo cant do this well im sleeping.
what a nice surprise, theyre not bad!! zelda seems perfect, and link might be promising. i like how theyre not well known too. excited to hear more!

I think i can see how both look the part. Those talking about hair colour.... hair can be dyed.

Link has historically been a child or a teenager. Some people were commenting about it being a British cast on other sites.... British accents are far better suited to fantasy movies than American. This has always been the case.

Paul Mescal would be a perfect fit for Ganondorf imo.

Pretty happy with this, and a far better result than I'd dare hope for!

Casting relative 'unknowns' is a great win I think, and will allow the project to speak for itself somewhat.... as opposed to relying on star power etc

Ganon casting will be interesting, and I'm pretty optimistic for it

Not really familiar with either actor’s work. Going off of appearance, the woman playing Zelda, I can see it. The man playing Link I’m not sold yet. I hope it turns out good! Recent TotK disappointment aside Zelda remains my favorite gaming franchise.

Someone should help Miyamoto sign up to social media sites so he doesn't have to keep writing "this is Miyamoto" each time he posts

Love that they are using unknown actors! So hyped for this!

Congratulations to both actors. I hope they're suitably thick-skinned and media savvy to protect themselves from the deluge of ***** that's coming their way for the next few years. I wish them the best for this project and beyond.

Fantastic casting for both roles of Link and Zelda. They both seem to be relative unknowns but with good acting histories, this couldn't be more perfect. Now knowing the cast and director, tonally this movie is going to be more akin to Lord of the Rings and will probably take itself very seriously. As for Ganondorf, I'm very curious, will that be announced at a later date or will he be even featured at all?

@VoidofLight and also don't forget the punk... sorry, the pink hair he had in ALttP xP

The wee boy was brilliant in Bly Manor, a very chilling performance.

As an aside I LOVE that Nintendo Today ONLY sends you random push notifications if it's a big story. I think this is the only app I know that uses this feature well. Pretty smart from Nintendo as it ensures people won't switch them off from beyond spammed and is the real draw of the app for them now I'd say. They can instantly reach everyone's phones with end big announcements even if they're not checking the app daily.

Never heard of either…PERFECT!!

Still skeptical of this movie, but this seems like a good start.

Well, at least it's not Chris Pratt! I don't know either actors and like many before me commented, that can only be a good thing.

I am still very worried about how this pans out. Animation would have been such an easier way to get Zelda on the big screen. I am keeping my fingers crossed this will turn out good.

Hmmm, it feels startlingly close, yet still a ways away. I wonder if there will be a new Zelda release in the same year, like how we got Mario Wonder from out of nowhere in the same year as the Mario Movie? Probably too soon for a new mainline game, but maybe a remaster or spin-off?

Excellent cast! Excited to see who plays Tingle

@Suketoudara yes. X is a playing field for right-wing extremists these days.

I don’t know either of the actors, but from the post they definitely look like Zelda & Link. I’m really hopeful this turns out to be a great movie. 🤞

@VoidofLight hair color is about the easiest fix in the world. Definitely not a reason to doubt the casting.

There is so much discussion here about how these characters should look. Even when within a relatively thin range of possibilities they have all looked a lot of different ways. And the lack of interest to go beyond what most people want from many adaptations, the ability to say that fits my picture of these characters, is disappointing. What does a movie need to be a Zelda movie? What is the essence? If you just try to just reflect a game back at us, we don't really know. The Super Mario movie didnt do a lot to make me think about what these characters mean to me, just that I could recognize stuff associated with them overlayed on a cookie-cutter kids film. With Zelda, what about questions of being lost on an adventure alone? What about three individuals each having a relationship with two other people they don't know? What does it mean to really understand the space you are in? Or maybe something I didn't think of that when I watch this and I go, "Yeah that makes these games special." Whether Link has red, pink, brown, or blond hair has zero bearing on this, or at least I think there is a vision of a Zelda movie that doesn't look like you expect but even just in its looks still says Zelda, but because we all belabor the most baseline comparisons you won't see that movie. I mean yeah to a certain degree it needs elements you recognize, but the differences, even the ones that may rub you the wrong way, that is where the opportunity is for an adaption to be great.

They look good to me. Some acting experience w/o being famous outside of the UK. "Renegade Nell" was really good but she isn't in it that much, I'm not 100% sure who she played but I think youngest sister. Who would have had a nice season 2 if the show continued.

Aa far as the hair, they are not going to make Link blonde and have him and Zelda look like brother and sister. Incest isn't a big family moving selling point. Unless someone can find these pictures in their IMDB profiles I'm going to say their "on set". Nobody dresses like that IRL in 2025.

Oh, and w/o a doubt Link is going to speak. Actual words, not gibberish. It's a movie, not a game.

Based on the cast I'm feeling this being very similar to "Eragon", but w/o the dragon. Movie wasn't bad, game was kinda trash.

https://youtu.be/dZRHO0d9Nao?si=fWLJ8eNpsD-I5QkI

OK that looks horribly cheesy in 2025, maybe Willow?

OK Willow is cheesier, but no dragon, so closer.

https://youtu.be/TZFtUwAs0wk?si=p9YSlb3ofzKjJwyE

Basically every 20 years the same movie releases for a new generation of teenagers to go out on dates. The Legend of Zelda will be that movie for this generation. And if you think it looks bad now, just imagine how it will look 20 years from now.😂

OK I'm going to end w/ Legend 1985. Probably the closest I'll find.

https://youtu.be/w3ZWskwjHG4?si=I4hJ_irVryUDoCPz

Excalibur 1981 is the first big fantasy movie of its time but I'm thinking too dark and adult for Zelda. Excalibur was made for adults (yeah I know hard to believe but different times) Zelda will be more family friendly.

https://youtu.be/w3ZWskwjHG4?si=UqmIpSqPz_aFnmk6

Superman was good, go see that.

I just hope the movie isn’t cheesy. What works in a game doesn’t necessarily always translate well to a live action movie. Seems to be good casting choices though as far as appearance goes. I’m gonna have to pull up some of their stuff and see though before I can make any definitive opinions.

Good picks. Glad "that" discussion is now over.

@VoidofLight they could always dye the hair for the movie.

@Suketoudara, there's only one reason that I wanted white actors for Link and Zelda: because they have white skin in the actual games, not because of politics. If they had any other skin color, it would kind of be jarring to me because I'm used to the specific look of the characters that I've loved for years. I'm not the kind of person who complains about that stuff on X (I don't even have an X account yet but will eventually for advertising my books), and honestly... all the people there complaining about stuff like that are kind of wasting their time, and I don't care in the slightest. Other people can waste their time however they like.

His ears are all wrong!!!

Love it. And I dont even know who these 2 actors are.

Wake me up when Danny DeVito's confirmed for Tingle

Sorry if I'm being REALLY stupid, but are these just the actor's photos, or of them as their characters? Think they look good! Brown hair throws me off but I can quickly look past that

@ButterCashier they didn't do his makeup yet. It will be pink in the movie.

that’s not Chris Pratt or Kim kardashian

Looks wise, this looks like great, spot on casting.

Not entirely familiar with either one's previous work, aside from starting The Haunting of Bly Manor, but never finishing it.

Exciting, nonetheless, to get some real movement on the movie.

Um wow that's a huge announcement to make right tf out of nowhere. No strong feelings on the Zelda franchise, hope these kids do a decent job and ignore the stunted manchildren ***** who will insult them for nothing.

@Fizza Tbf, most of the Mario movie cast are legitimately talented actors. It was just that some of them were miscast.

This is fantastic news!! Casting actors who are experienced but not mega stars is honestly the best case scenario. If they cast celebrities to attract attention it'll probably be for the side roles. I'm glad I can breathe a sigh of relief!

@Truegamer79
"Actors should be chosen for their talent and acting skills" Hard agree.
A lot of people (not saying you are one of them) will say cry woke if non white/binary actors are cast for the right reason though.
There will be cases where these decisions have been made for political reasons but it's very problematic to just instinctively fall back on this assumption.
Being a minority doesn't preclude you from talent.

@ShieldHero

There is only one reason someone wanted white people in a new production of Hamlet, because they were (likely) white people in Shakespeare's original production.

There is only one reason someone wanted Peter Pepper of Burger Time to be a white person, cause in the original arcade game you can just make out he is white when avoiding sausages.

There is only one reason someone wants white people on the baseball team, because the first baseball team maybe had all white people.

There is only one reason someone wanted white men at Yale, because they were all white men in the original graduating class.

Any changes to these would be jarring for someone.

@Jayenkai Yes, at 720p30fps as Goddess Hylia intended (with dips in the Korok Forest)

I'm glad these two are relative unknowns; less unreasonable pressure and "I can't unsee X character" moments. They seem promising from some of the comments more in the know. Zelda seems on point, and I'm sure wigs, hair dye, and other effects can be used to make "Link" appear closer to the version many of us are familiar with.

As for this movie....I'm keeping an eye on it and am trying to keep an open mind. But I really do think it would have worked better as a 2D animated feature.

Take note Hollywood, this is good casting.

Link has had pink hair, blonde hair, brown hair, white hair (Fierce Deity), black hair (Dark Link) etc.

I think he should don all of the above & more at some point throughout the film as nods to the series’ history lol.

Not bad. I'm interested to see how the movie goes.

@ButterCashier

But... Link's hair is the wrong colour!

Please, please, PLEASE tell me you're joking. 🤣

@DadJKP Why wouldn’t Zelda be cast as a girl? Please elaborate.

I’m happy with those picks, glad they aren’t high profile actors.

@Flashlink99 Spoilers!!!

@LazyDaisy there where rumours that the Zelda actress was trans, which was false.

@Fiergala uh no?

@LazyDaisy because one of the rumors going around pointed to the opposite

@VoidofLight So you went from "go read the interviews" to "I remember hearing"...
First of all, he is not purple, it's bright pink. Second, his belt is yellow. Third, he has both yellow and brown on the sprite that could easily have been used for the color of the hair had they wanted.
It is a very much intentional decision. He also has brown hair in the manual. It's not as dark as previous, but it is brown, with Zelda being much more blonde.

So far so good. Y'all realize they can make him blonde for the movie right? There are these things called wigs.

Brunette Link?!??! This is James Bond all over again!
But in reverse.

@invictus4000 Or hair dye/bleach. XD

Wait, who's producing and/or distributing this film? Two Disney connections is curious, though it could be a coincidence.

Oh, right, Sony. Huh. So probably a coincidence.

Not unknown actors for me.. my first reaction was - That's the kid from Son of a Critch!! Very niche show I admit

@LazyDaisy @Fiergala there was a leak that Hunter Schafer was cast as Zelda, she’s a transwoman.
@DadJKP is misgendering her.

Glad I don't know these actors. No expectations now.

@darkswabber Ah. I'm dipping from this convo now lol.

I can only imagine the casting selection for link:

• Go ahead, say your line.
• Hyuk! Haya! Ugh! Ha!
• OK, next.

At least it's not Tom Holland and Zendaya. Or going for name as opposed to talent like with the Mario movie.

Yeah, never heard of them but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m glad that it’s, at least to me, two relative newcomers that are getting a shot. Time will tell how they do but I wish them both well.

Right now I'm more curious on who they will get/have gotten to play Ganondorf.

Cool, looking forward to seeing what happens. After stuff like Ledger's Joker, Jackie Chan in Karate Kid 2010, and the Star Wars prequels I completely stopped caring about casting in as much as judging how good or bad it may be solely based on the actor. There are way more reasons why execution can go right or wrong and a good bit of that is totally out of the control of the actor. Especially with this movie, where the direction, the writing, the effects, and pretty much everything else is up in the air. All I can say now is they look the part, BOTW-style Zelda.

And let's be real. Regardless of casting, this won't be the Zelda a lot of people are expecting. Every Zelda game suffers that, and the movie absolutely will too. Shame the actors will undoubtedly take some heat for it.

Nice cast, also thanks to nintendo for clearing the dumbest rumor ever lmao

People shocked at Link actor having brown hair forgets that the first Link and the "excuse me, princess!" Link were also brown haired. And honestly, if we were able to accept Link getting rid of his green suit, I don't see brown hair as something hard to get used to.

I want to hear that guy's Link sounds, but not a word of actual dialogue.

Something tells me they are gonna take after twilight princess

@axelhander HYUUUURGH!!!

@axelhander Reminds me how the weird elves were the worst part of The Dark Crystal and I mostly just wanted them to shut up so we could get back to the Skeksis.

Welp this is gonna be a pass for me.

@MyMemory I don't see why. Netflix Death Note sucked, which makes it 100% faithful to the source material.

First the DK news and now the actors reveal. I get more Harry Potter vibes from Ben but he might do Link justice. And Bo, I need to know more about her. I actually hope they keep the black hair for Link and he talks somewhat. They're growing on me.

@ottoecamn @CupidStunt @KidSparta @VoidofLight @ButterCashier Kinda hope they keep the black hair. It would help movie link be distinct from his game counterparts. A first for Zelda being from a movie.

@Friendly don't forget those pesky pots!

All of y'all who are saying "ew, he's not blonde!"

My brothers in Hylia.
HAIR DYE EXISTS.

@AussieMcBucket Twilight Link says hello.

I didn't have any interest in this film .. now even less than that. Man, who is the target audience for this?

@Kingy more importantly, he played "schoolboy" in Emmerdale episode #8125.

@Yalloo People who like fun.

@VoidofLight
Link also was not Blonde in A Link to the Past

Not only does "Nintendo" have to dye his hair, but they also NEED to dye his eyebrows!

Fake Hollywood Blinds really piss me off!

Look at Danyeris from Game of Thrones! Blonde/Silver hair with heavy dark eyebrows!

There are many, many more cases of this and it is ALWAYS so very distracting!

@the_beaver
Yep, those Lord of the Rings movies were terrible and a huge disservice to the fans and the books!

This might shock you guys but.... Hair dye exists.

Praying he says "well eeeeeexxccccuuuuuuuuuussssseeee me, Princess" at least once in this film.
I'm sure Ganondorf, Impa and dad King will be big names to "balance" the cast. So it's really good they got unknown's for the main duo.

I know nothing about either, which is a good thing. Better it's unknowns than big names people have an opinion on before even seeing any footage. And no controversial picks that cause a storm on social media for or against. I will say they look very much like they'll fit the characters. Benjamin looks as if he could be Kokiri. So who's playing Navi?

@Yalloo: Families who want to get into a new fantasy franchise? I wish it was animated like the vocal minority here probably does but it's a sad fact live-action remakes have been making crazy money recently (yes Snow White is the exception).

@Spider-Kev Who's your fancast for Tom Bombadil and his weird elf chick waifu, they have to be appropriate ages when the movies were being made. Rob Reiner and Kate Beckinsale, ah that would've been move magic huh.

@Yoshi3 Well, if Nintendo allows me to publish the Legend of Zelda webnovel that I am trying to write, I plan on it becoming a light novel, a manga, and finally an anime someday. In fact, I already have the perfect intro theme for it: “Power of the Triforce” by Dragonforce!

@Fiergala
For Goldberry... It'd be someone who could act like a free spirit and look young. Like Reilly from Girl Meets World. But someone from that time... 2001, I'm not sure who fits.

I guess the reason many people (including me) wanted Hunter Schafer to play Zelda was because she looked perfect in case Zelda was based off her Twilight Princess incarnation. But the actual actress looks pretty well fitting too, more closely aligned with BoTW Zelda. Link looks fine too, but the plot is still a mystery.

@Spider-Kev So terrible that nobody, fans or not, liked them! Hahaha.
Now seriously, the LOTR movies are simply MARVELOUS.

@GinMiguel I disagree. Changing the hair colour is just a few steps from more drastic measures. The doors are open! What next? Link is a girl? Ganondorf is the hero? Link uses an electric guitar!?

@PushMyGran86 got to crash m! Then get out of the room, back into the room, and crash m again!

Excellent choice, young and with the face of heroes.
Looking forward to Trailers.

Getting that call for both of them must have been very exciting. Life/career altering. Good for them

Is there a reason why no JPN actors can play those part as this is a JPN franchise? I always hate using white actors to play foreign games in movies this always torpedo the movie. "DragonBallZ" movie anyone....SpeedRacer...GhostInTheShell.....They haven't learned.....

@sethfranum Concerned about a lack of Japanese actors but absolutely refuses to spell out the word "Japanese."

Anywho, it's fine. Actors act. There are Japanese works set in Western settings filled with characters speaking Japanese (even in settings where the Japanese language is rare, like Guilty Gear) and even Japanese live action adaptations of said things with Western settings with Japanese actors. It ain't that big a deal.

@ButterCashier are you for real? Obviously He's gonna get his hair colered or wearing a wig... or theyre gonna do something digitally..

Why does Benjamin look like he just walked out of LOTR?

This is what bothers me about Hollywood, these roles should have gone to actual Hylians.

This announcement screams " Hey! Look! LISTEN!!"

@Shepdawg1 Guessing they probably also cast it on the young end on purpose in case they want to do a sequel, they don't want the actors immediately aging out of the roles

@GinMiguel That's very kind. Say hi for me then, too.

I can't wait! I know ppl wanted an anime but I am happy with the casting so far! I know ppl are hating on the guys because "he isn't a blonde" but like... All the characters change designs so often, I don't mind!

@CaleBoi25 Yeah, don't tell these people that Orlando Bloom is not blonde and yet he played Legolas in the LotR movies, and Emilia Clarke is not blonde and yet she played Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, just to cite two high-profile examples.

This is movie is going to be a total failure.
I am glad Hunter Schafer is not playing Zelda, because if she was, everybody would have blamed her for the disaster this is going to be.

I do hope the dude playing Link has his yahs, ehh's, hiiyas, uhhhh's down

@MCHuddle I'm going to predict that you're entirely wrong and that it will print money.

I love that such a large percentage of people felt the need to click a link, sign in, and leave a comment, just so say
"WhO eVeN wAnTs ThIs"
Like this isn't a Nintendo news website filled with people who very much do want this lol

I dont recognize them, maybe I've seen then before and dont know the names. But its good that it is not a typical popular pick. Big actors started out small before being well known. So who knows it could be the beginning

I really thought they would cast Chris Pratt as Zelda-- I mean Link. Wasn't Zelda middle aged in BOTW? All of these "kids" seem too young to play these characters. Well, at least they're not casting hollywood's typical overrated overpaid actors.

@SurprisedRobinChu Your updated gif is working against you! You definitely deserve a good spanking xD

@AppleroseGrace honestly. I hope they do none of that. It would be too silly

No offence towards Benjamin Evan Ainsworth but at 16 years old he is way too young for the role especially when Bo Bragason who is playing Zelda is 21. Link and Zelda are supposed to be in love with each other and it is going to be pretty problematic if they have them together with the age difference.

I could nitpick, but honestly, they look the part enough. I'm waiting to see who will play Gannondorf/Ganon-- That will be the real money maker for me.

@DollyrotsFan1 Not sure I agree that they supposed to be 'in love' with each other; the depth of their relationship is dependent on the game and individual fan canon. The earlier games, especially, suggest no more than a 'hero-damsel' relationship. i would suggest a deep affection/mutual respect is closer within the majority of the series.

@axelhander And that means what?

@sethfranum It means exactly what I typed.

@VoidofLight

I’m pretty confident they will dye his hair when filming starts.

@DollyrotsFan1

Well that’s one interpretation. Frankly I don’t think Link and Zelda are openly romantic in any of the games I’ve played. But they clearly care deeply about each other but I think it’s deeper than romantic attraction.

I don't watch much contemporary media so I haven't seen anything by these two, but I think casting unknowns is the right way to go. Part of the appeal of Link in particular is the blank canvas he represents (he has little to no character outside of brave/loyal, especially in the earlier games) so to have a unknown actor in the role doesn't distract the audience by having them imprint a more well-known star's persona on to Link.

@Yojimbo

I agree with that. Casting lesser known actors is always the way to go with these kinds of movies. Especially if Nintendo hopes to turn this into a franchise.

Feels quite Rebecca De Mornay and Clive Warren.

@MyMemory No problems here; Death Note is not difficult to understand. It is the product of an author who fundamentally misunderstands what stands between modern society and a better world. The Netflix series is faithful to that silly story.

Even if it wasn't (and it is), it's laughable to judge all adaptations based on the quality of one. That's a YOU problem.

People saying the kid has to dye his hair to play Link. Um, no the hell he doesn't. Who cares what Link's hair color is. Link has had multiple hair colors over the years.

@LazyDaisy

The pink hair was likely a technical limitation of the hardware due to how colors on the sprites were handled in the game.

@VoidofLight Twilight Princess? Skyward Sword?

Will he talk? He at be good at screaming his arse off.

@Hisui25002 Dirty Blonde and Blonde.

Finally, some actual news about the film... and it's good.

And surprisingly, my interest has been piqued, even though I would have preferred traditional animation.

I can't imagine a world where this move is any good, but hey - will be interesting to keep an eye on at the veyr least.

Remains to be seen whether they can act, but looks-wise at any rate this is good casting, they both look suitably elfin.

@Truegamer79 Legend is an amazing movie. Watch the director's cut, it's a whole 'nother animal, adds in about an extra 40 mins of footage and makes it even better.

@jaughndis
Wasn't aware of that. Thanks I'll look it up!

@Friendly gotta make those rupees!

@Ryu_Niiyama not a zelda fan?

@VoidofLight Princess Mononoke is often seen as a spiritual adaptation of Zelda. Which went full circle with later games and especially Breath of the Wild taking influence from Miyazaki's films and Princess Mononoke in particular.

@ButterCashier One of those three appeals to me. But Links had multiple hair colors over the years. Pink in AlTTP, Brunette in the NES and Wii games, White as fierce diety, Raven/black as Radio and Dark Link. What's movie version going for that liberty more or less?

@VoidofLight Those were brunette

Surprised me that they went for pretty unknown (upcoming?) actors. Lets see where this goes.

@VoidofLight Which isn't the blonde people think of for Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword isn't blonde in the traditional sense either as it's darker.