Development of Nintendo’s live-action Legend of Zelda movie is quietly making progress, and according to a report from one notable movie influencer, casting for major roles may have already begun.
The information is vague at best, but from what we do know the movie industry insider Daniel Richtman has shared updates from his private Patreon account that casting for the roles of Link, Princess Zelda, Ganondorf, Impa, and / or the King of Hyrule could be taking place at the time of this writing. Link and Zelda’s casting seems to be focused on younger candidates between the age ranges of 16 and 23. According to Richtman and an article from ComicBasics.com, casting could be wrapped up by August this year followed by a period of training and then filming around November until production would be complete by the following Spring. The movie has the potential to become a possible trilogy.
None of this information is confirmed by Nintendo, however. If production is slated to be complete by Spring next year, that would mean there is an entire year gap until the movie’s updated release day of May 7, 2027, which was confirmed on the Nintendo Today app. Most movies take about one to six months on average to edit and polish into the final product for theaters. Then again, knowing Nintendo, a whole year dedicated to editing for a Zelda movie would not be the least bit surprising. With so much lore stuffed into the game franchise, more Zelda movies in the future would not be surprising, either.
All of this should be taken with a hefty grain of salt (and a glass of water), but it is at least worthy enough to put a feather in the rhetorical Minish Cap. Richtman has reported on news concerning Marvel movies in the past, and more recently for the Hunger Games movie Sunrise on the Reaping.
What we do know about The Legend of Zelda movie from Nintendo is… well, not much. Some filming locations were reportedly revealed. We still don’t know about the plot, save for a vague description of Link saving Hyrule from Ganon. Nonetheless, we do know that Shigeru Miyamoto is personally involved with the movie’s growth himself, and that alone is reassuring. He is co-producing it with Sony and Avi Arad, an accomplished Marvel producer with a track record of many films. Wes Ball is also directing the Zelda movie under Miyamoto’s watchful eye. Ball has a growing Hollywood resume under his belt, with The Maze Runner trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes being recent successes. The screenplay writer Derek Connolly is reportedly now replaced by T.S. Nowlin, who previously worked with Ball on Maze Runner.
