The new live-action Zelda movie cast so far (and who we'd pick for the other characters)
The cast for The Legend of Zelda live-action movie has not yet been fully announced, but we have already been able to have a first look at our two main heroes in costume.
Slated for release by Sony Pictures in 2027, The Legend of Zelda will be an original story set in the Zelda universe with a heavy focus on CGI and motion capture.
It’s being directed by Wes Ball, whose previous work as a director includes The Maze Runner trilogy, as well as 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. He has also written and directed several short films.
Although we don’t have a full cast list announced just yet, the actors set to appear in The Legend of Zelda will likely be a mix of live-action and motion-capture animated characters.
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Here’s all we know about the confirmed Zelda cast so far, and who we would like to play the characters who haven’t been announced yet.
Read More: The Legend of Zelda Movie Leak Reveals Specific Games They Might Be Adapting
Who's in the Zelda movie cast?
The Legend of Zelda live-action movie currently has two cast members confirmed so far, as well as one actor who has appeared in leaked set footage.
Benjamin Ainsworth as Link
The Yorkshire-based actor Benjamin Ainsworth was announced to be playing Link in the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie last July.
Ainsworth’s first major acting role was as the eccentric Miles Wingrave in Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor. Since then, he appeared as the voice of Pinocchio in the Disney live-action remake of the same name, and as Daeron Targaryen in House of the Dragon on HBO.
Born in 2008, Ainsworth is the right age to play Link, who usually appears as either a child or an older teenager in most of the games in the series. In fact, the character has never been depicted as older than 17 years old, making Ainsworth’s casting spot on.
Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda
Bo Bragason was also announced alongside Ainsworth’s casting last July, where it was revealed that she would be playing Princess Zelda.
Having already done motion capture work for Young Luna in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Bragason has already worked on a video game adaptation project prior to joining The Legend of Zelda. She has also featured in the psychological horror film Censor, as well as Renegade Nell on Disney Plus.
Similar to Ainsworth, Bragason is also the appropriate age to play Zelda. The images released so far imply that her role will be just as adventurous as Link’s, so we also shouldn’t expect Zelda to be locked away in a castle for most of the film.
Dichen Lachman as Impa
Although not officially confirmed by Nintendo or Sony Pictures, leaked set photos have revealed that Nepali-Australian actress Dichen Lachman will be appearing in the film. Rumours speculate that she’ll be playing Impa.
Impa is a character that has appeared in several forms over the years, who act as servants and guidance for Link and members of the Royal Family of Hyrule. She’s typically depicted as an elderly woman in many of the games, but has also appeared much younger in other games.
Lachman’s casting implies that Impa’s role in the movie will be closer to how she’s depicted in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, being a much younger and highly disciplined warrior aiding Zelda and Link on their journeys.
Who we’d pick to play the other characters
Although the following characters have not been confirmed to appear in The Legend of Zelda, these are the characters we’d love to see appear, as well as the actors who should play them.
Alfred Molina as King of Hyrule
The King of Hyrule appears as several different characters across the entire Zelda franchise, but he has often appeared as the father of Princess Zelda.
As the character dies at the hands of Ganon in several iterations, you need to bring in an actor who can bring an emotional gravitas to the role. The King requires a performer who can be stern in portraying their authority, but will also be quite warm.
Spider-Man 2’s Alfred Molina might be a good choice here, an actor who has played authoritative characters in the past, but whose warmth may also be a good way to raise the stakes when things get bad for him.
Ralph Ineson as Ganondorf
Ralph Ineson’s deep voice, tall stature, and imposing presence is absolutely electrifying in some of his previous work, and these qualities are essential for the role of Ganondorf.
This would also lend itself well if Ganondorf is to be portrayed via CGI, and especially if the character is to be also portrayed in his more beast-like Ganon form, where the character’s voice becomes important for creating a believable performance.
However, we actually think they might be saving Ganon for the sequel, introducing a different villain for the first film.
Javier Bardem as Zant
With Nintendo wanting to turn this movie into a series, we reckon that Ganon will only be merely set up as a threat for the sequel, with the role of the main antagonist being given to Zant, who serves as Ganon’s principle follower in Twilight Princess.
Javier Bardem, who has already proven himself at playing terrifying villains in movies like No Country For Old Men and Skyfall, would be a great presence as the main baddie in The Legend of Zelda movie.
In particular, we think his ability to play a merciless character who is also unstable would go a long way in really selling Zant as a major threat towards Link and Zelda in this movie, and it would also give the movie a strong sense of prestige to have the Academy Award winning actor appear.
Thandiwe Newton as Purah
As a character who has only featured in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, Purah’s presence in the upcoming movie is less guaranteed. With that said, we think she’d be an excellent addition to the cast in being able to introduce us to the history and technology of Hyrule.
Purah is technically 124 years old in Breath of the Wild, but is portrayed as a young girl thanks to an anti-aging rune which has reversed her physical age. In Tears of the Kingdom, she resembles an adult Hylian. For that reason, you could have an actress of pretty much any age play her on screen.
For this character, we’d love to see the role of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab director go to Thandiwe Newton. Her roles in genre films such as The Chronicles of Riddick and Solo: A Star Wars Story have given her prestige in working with these kinds of scripts, and we can fully believe her delivering some of the complicated lines that Purah says in the two games she appears in.
Topics: The Legend Of Zelda, Nintendo, TV And Film, Sony