Nintendo Shares First Images From The Set Of The Live-Action Zelda Movie

Last week, we got the first proper trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but it seems Nintendo had more movie teasers ready to go for this week. Today, shared on the Nintendo Today App and on social media, we got our first glimpse at the live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, which just started filming in New Zealand. You can take a look at Link and Zelda below.

The images show Link, played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Zelda, played by Bo Bragason, in a sprawling green countryside, presumably somewhere in Hyrule. On social media, the images are accompanied by a message from Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto. We know this because he starts the message by saying, “This is Miyamoto.” The full statement is as follows.

This is Miyamoto. Filming is underway for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda in a lush, natural setting, with Bo Bragason-san who will play Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san who will play Link. Filming is on track for the film’s release on May 7, 2027. It will take a while until the release, so we would be grateful if you would wait patiently and look forward to it.

We know very little about the movie outside its two main cast members, but this image provides some morsels of context to speculate about. Both Link and Zelda’s designs seem to be partially inspired by their most recent iterations on Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which is unsurprising, given the success of each of those games. Zelda, for example, is wearing blue, which is unlike her typical pink/purple and white attire found in prior games. Link is wearing his traditional green, which is unlike the newer games and is specifically evocative of his Twilight Princess look. Still, his cap-less appearance certainly evokes his newer design. Besides, Link can wear green in the newer games; his iconic Champion’s Tunic dominates much of the promotional material, but his attire is more variable than Zelda’s.

More notably, Link doesn’t appear to have a weapon in these images, which raises many questions about his relationship to Zelda in this scene. He’s typically tasked with defending or rescuing her, but when she has a weapon and he has nothing, that dynamic doesn’t seem feasible here. Could she be a mentor figure in this scene? Or could this be a version of Link that has to learn to be brave across the course of the film? At this time, it’s all unclear, but we’re eager to learn more as we approach the game’s May 2027 release date.

For more Nintendo news, you can check out a recap of everything from last week’s Mario Galaxy Movie Direct right here, or read our review of the latest Zelda spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.