Holy Hylia! Nintendo Casts Relatively Unknown Actors as Link and Zelda – But Where's Ganon?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Nintendo has revealed the actors who'll play Link and Zelda in the upcoming live-action film, opting for relatively unknown talent, and leaving us all wondering where the heck Ganon is. Plus, whispers of a Donkey Kong film... is Nintendo building a cinematic empire?
Right, so Nintendo just dropped a bombshell on us via social media (where else, eh?). They've announced who'll be donning the tunic and tiara in the upcoming live-action *Legend of Zelda* film. Now, before you start frantically searching IMDb, the leads are being played by some fresh faces. Seems like Miyamoto-san is going for a bit of a left-field casting choice.
Zelda will be brought to life by Bo Bragason, a young English actress who's popped up in Disney+'s *Renegade Nell* and *The Radleys*. Gamers might recognise her voice from *Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV*, where she voiced Young Luna. Link, meanwhile, is being played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, a 16-year-old English actor with credits in Netflix's *The Haunting of Bly Manor* and *The Sandman*. Not exactly household names, are they? (Though, let's be fair, who *could* live up to the hype?)
Miyamoto himself seems pretty chuffed, saying he's "very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen." Which is all well and good, but forgive me for being a *tad* skeptical. I mean, adapting a beloved franchise like Zelda is always a gamble. The film’s currently slated for release on May 7th, 2027, having been nudged back from its original March date. Gives them plenty of time to polish that Hylian Shield, I reckon.
The big question, though, is… where's Ganon? Will he be a hulking pig-beast? A suave, vaguely unsettling human? Or, dare we dream, *both*? This is crucial, people. The fate of Hyrule – and, let's be honest, the entire film – hangs in the balance. And while we're at it, what about the source material? Are they cherry-picking elements from across the series, or are they aiming for a specific game's storyline? So many questions, so few answers (for now, anyway).
And speaking of Nintendo, word on the street (or rather, the internet) is that they've also filed a copyright for a *Donkey Kong* film. Seems like Nintendo is diving headfirst into the cinematic universe game. Whether it’ll be a barrel of laughs or a banana peel slip-up remains to be seen. (See what I did there? I'm here all week, folks!)
Tags: Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, Film Adaptation, Casting News, Gaming Movies
Original article: Eurogamer