I think these set photos are telling us a lot more about the Legend of Zelda movie than Nintendo is letting on – analysis
Just this very moment, the first official photos from The Legend of Zelda live-action film were shown on the Nintendo today app.
These images show Bo Bragason as the titular Princess Zelda, complete with bow and arrow, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link. We were treated to a shot of the duo looking out over Hyrule, as well as individual character images.
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Image credit: Nintendo
Image credit: Nintendo
Image credit: Nintendo
Ever since set footage from the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie adaption first came to light over the weekend, I have been trying to piece together clues to work out which game the crew is adapting.
So, please allow me to take you through my thinking…
As you can see in the images below and above, our first look at Bo Bragason as Zelda show her in a blue tunic. In my mind, this put the film in Breath of the Wild’s timeline, where the Champions and the princess all largely wore a splash of blue in their day to day wear, be it tunics or sashes. The way Bragason’s hair has been styled is also very Breath of the Wild.
Image credit: via
Gregasms/YouTube
Image credit: Nintendo
However, after Zelda first appears in the footage, she then walks up to another character next to a horse. Many have surmised that this is Impa, a mainstay in the Zelda series. The thing is, Impa here is much younger than she appears in Breath of the Wild, even with the silver hair, and is wearing quite a knightly-looking garb. This in my mind then put the film into the Ocarina of Time category, where Impa serves as a strong warrior.
Image credit: Via @SlLENTPRINCESS/X
Image credit: Nintendo
Others online, meanwhile, have pointed out that the actress perhaps playing Impa in the film (the character has not been officially confirmed yet) looks a lot like the Impa seen in Skyward Sword. This is canonically the game that started off the whole Zelda timeline. As for who the actress is, again we don’t have official word yet but she appears to be Dichen Lachman. I first came across Lachman when she appeared in Neighbours as Katya Kinski, though she has since starred in the likes of Severance and Altered Carbon.
Image credit: @farourage via X
Then, finally, we come to the Legend of Zelda series’ main man, Link. In the film, he is played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who can be seen in set footage wearing Link’s iconic green tunic ensemble. Again, this pushes my initial Breath of the Wild thoughts towards the back burner as while Link can certainly get green clothing in the series’ most recent timeline, this is not what he wears in any of the key art or promotional images.
Image credit: via Gregasms/YouTube
While Link traditionally wears green in promotional images for Legend of Zelda games (as shown in the Twilight Princess artwork), for the most recent series releases he has worn blue. | Image credit: Nintendo
So, what can we conclude then? Well, in all honesty, I am not exactly sure which game in the Legend of Zelda series the film will be adapting, despite my initial thought being Breath of the Wild.
Perhaps the team will do something similar to what Sony tried to do with its Uncharted adaptation, and create a sort of melange of set pieces from across the Zelda series. Or, perhaps, we will be presented with an all new story for the Legend of Zelda…? What do you hope to see on the film’s eventual release?
Filming for Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda adaptation began earlier this month in New Zealand, and is expected to run until April next year. The film is due to release on 7th May, 2027.
I will be keeping my eyes open for any more set leaks and cast announcements, so stay tuned. Personally, I am most interested to hear who will play Ganondorf.
