It’s a great time to be a Nintendo fan. Not only is the Switch 2 just months away, but we’re also getting new Metroid and Pokémon games.
Now, there’s even more reason to celebrate: Nintendo has announced the release date of its upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie.
The highly anticipated flick will arrive roughly two years from now on March 26, 2027. Nintendo announced the news in its newly launched mobile app for super fans, Nintendo Today!
Talk of a Zelda adaptation ramped up after the box-office success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with Nintendo making it official in late 2023. Notably, Nintendo is co-financing the film with the movie division of its gaming rival Sony.
While plot details remain under wraps, the title itself offers a pretty juicy clue. First released in Japan in 1986, the original Legend of Zelda game follows a young elven warrior named Link on his quest to rescue Princess Zelda from the clutches of the dark warlord Ganon.
The game’s bucolic fairytale setting took its inspiration from fantasy novels including J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Zelda has since spawned more than a dozen sequels, several remasters and spinoffs. Tears of the Kingdom, the most recent blockbuster entry in the franchise, became the fastest-selling game in the Legend of Zelda series in 2023, shifting more than 10 million copies in its first three days. While last year’s Echoes of Wisdom turned Zelda into the protagonist for the first time.
The project has some big Hollywood names attached. Producer Avi Arad, known for the original Spider-Man and X-Men films, will oversee the film, while Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) is set to direct. Meanwhile, Jurassic World writer Derek Connolly is penning the script.
Of course, the big question remains: who will play Link? Fans have previously thrown out names like Jacob Tremblay and Justice Smith, but nothing is confirmed. If Nintendo needs more inspiration, AI-generated posters for a fake Netflix Zelda adaptation previously showed Tom Holland and Emma Watson as the leads.
One thing’s for sure—whoever takes the role will have to master the art of staying silent, given that Link famously doesn’t talk in the games. With high expectations and Nintendo's tight creative control, The Legend of Zelda is poised to be the next big video game adaptation. March 2027 can’t come soon enough.
