Nintendo's live-action The Legend of Zelda film has officially begun production, and the company recently released first-look images giving fans their first glimpse of Hyrule coming to life.
The photos, shared via Nintendo's X account, show Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link standing in a sunny meadow.
Both actors wear faithful recreations of the characters' classic Hylian costumes, complete with pointed ears. As ComicBook.com notes, Zelda's costume draws inspiration from her outfit in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, while Link sports his iconic green tunic.
Fan reactions have generally been positive, with much appreciation for the nods to Breath of the Wild.
Check out the photos here.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Zelda in The Legend of Zelda. Credit: Nintendo/Sony
Bo Bragason as Zelda in The Legend of Zelda. Credit: Nintendo/Sony
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link in The Legend of Zelda. Credit: Nintendo/Sony
Director Wes Ball, known for The Maze Runner trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is helming the project. Ball has publicly emphasized his deep respect for the source material and his commitment to authenticity.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, The Legend of Zelda follows Link, a courageous hero, on quests to help Princess Zelda and save the kingdom of Hyrule from various threats. The series is known for its puzzle-solving, dungeon exploration, and rich fantasy world-building.
Since its 1986 debut, it has become one of Nintendo's most beloved franchises.
Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is producing the film and has acknowledged the enormous challenge of meeting fan expectations. He said last year (via Nintendowire):
"Regarding the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, I know we face an extremely high hurdle in producing a film that will not disappoint the global fan base. With this challenge in mind, I have been discussing this project with Avi Arad, Chairman of Arad Productions Inc., for about 10 years. Movies are just like games, in that you need to spend a lot of time working on them until you get to something you’re satisfied with. Movies therefore need sponsors who can lend their full support until completion. For the production of our movies, Nintendo itself acts as a sponsor. To produce the movie, we were able to assemble a group of people who are willing to commit time to the production until we come up with something we feel confident about."
He has also previously said he's looking forward to seeing both actors on the big screen.
The film is slated to release on May 7, 2027.
Check out the full announcement tweet below.
Are you excited for this one? Let us know.
