The Zelda movie is simply called The Legend of Zelda
Nintendo's live-action Zelda film now has an official name, and it's about as stripped-back as a title can get: The Legend of Zelda. The studio confirmed it during a 40th-anniversary presentation largely focused on the Ocarina of Time remake — a brief reveal that left more questions than it answered. The film opens in theaters on April 30, 2027.
A name that says everything and nothing
No subtitle. No colon followed by a dramatic noun. Nintendo and Sony are leaning into the franchise name alone, the same quiet confidence that served The Super Mario Bros. Movie well on its way to $1.4 billion at the global box office. Director Wes Ball — best known for the Maze Runner trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — envisioned a Studio Ghibli-inspired aesthetic for the film, per IMDb. That framing puts it closer to an animated fairy-tale feel than a grimy fantasy blockbuster, even in live-action.
The story is original, not a direct adaptation of any single game. It draws from across the franchise — the visual language of Breath of the Wild, the lore of Ocarina of Time — rather than retelling one entry beat for beat.
The cast and the team
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth plays Link; Bo Bragason plays Princess Zelda. The supporting cast includes Uli Latukefu, Sam Neill, Yvonne Strahovski, and Dichen Lachman. The film is produced by Shigeru Miyamoto — Nintendo's legendary game designer — alongside Avi Arad, the former chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment. Derek Connolly and T.S. Nowlin wrote the screenplay, per Hollywood Reporter.
Sony distributes theatrically. After the theatrical run wraps, the film moves to Netflix under Sony's existing Pay-1 streaming deal — the same arrangement that covers Spider-Man titles. A standard 120-day holdback would put it on Netflix around late August or early September 2027.
What we still don't know
No trailer has been released yet. No official plot synopsis exists. The release date itself shifted twice — from an original March slot to May 7, then landed on April 30, 2027. Nintendo hasn't confirmed dubbing arrangements for non-English markets. Filming wrapped in New Zealand in April 2026, so post-production is well underway. A trailer before the end of 2026 seems likely, though Nintendo hasn't committed to one.
