Nintendo originally announced a live-actionLegend of Zeldamovie in 2023, and there have been some key updates ever since. Perhaps most importantly, the film has selected a director. The video game adaptation will be helmed by Wes Ball, who has previously worked onThe Maze Runnerseriesas well as last year’sKingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
The wait is still ongoing forThe Legend of Zeldamovie, as it is set forrelease on Aug 05, 2025. This is a slight push from the original release date that was announced, but it will hopefully provide time for the team to really master it.
Recently, casting for the twoLegend of Zeldalead actorswas announced. Link will be played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and the titular Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason.
The Legend of Zeldais not the only Nintendo adaptation in recent years. In 2023, the company releasedThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, which ended up being a $1.3 billion success. Now, a sequel is in development.
The two projects have some similarities in that they are both adapting mega-popular games and reimagining them for a modern-day audience. Upon the recent casting announcement, however,Super Mario Bros. andThe Legend of Zeldamovies are different in one key way.
The Legend Of Zelda Cast Relatively Unknown Actors As Link & Zelda
Though Both Actors Are Experienced
The Legend of Zeldamovie took an incredible direction when casting Ainsworth and Bragason in the lead roles.Both actors are relative unknowns, with little name recognition to most audiences. This is not to say no one will know the actors from any past projects. Bragason was inPrime Video’sRenegade Nell, which, while canceled after a single season, developed a fairly significant following.
Ainsworth has even worked with a major producer before, appearingas the voice of Pinocchio in Disney’s 2022 live-action version ofPinocchio.More recently, he was in the 2025 filmEverything’s Going to Be Great. But while both Ainsworth and Bragason are experienced, they are very far from household names. As such,The Legend of Zeldamovie will catch them at the height of their careers.
The Super Mario Bros. Movietook a very different approach when it came to casting. Despite being an animated movie where none of the lead voice actors would appear on-screen, they went with a series of A-list stars. MCU actor Chris Pratt was Mario, Jack Black played Bowser, and Anya Taylor-Joy played Princess Peach.
That said, this decision was somewhat controversial forThe Super Mario Bros. Movie.Pratt got a lot of backlash for how similar his Mario interpretation sounded to his normal speaking voice, leading some to assert that Nintendo should have cast a more seasoned voice actor.
Whether in response to the Nintendo casting or not,The Legend of Zeldais opting against the use of A-list stars. Both Ainsworth and Bragason have the potential to become bigger stars, but it would likely be the video game adaptation that ultimately catalyzes this growth.
Link & Zelda’s Casting Approach Is Perfect For The Legend Of Zelda
It Will Allow The Stars To Become The Characters
Casting newcomers in the roles of Link and Zelda could make for a better audience experience. The vast majority of audiences will not have a clear vision of what either actor represents in their mind. This will allowAinsworth and Bragason to really become their own version of the characters.
By contrast,The Super Mario Bros.did not really have any performances that felt entirely separate from their actors. Audiences did not truly experience Mario, but Chris Pratt playing Mario, or Jack Black putting on a funny Bowser voice.
The Legend of Zeldacould have ended up more like this than what they are ending up with. Earlyfan castings guessed that actors such as Tom Holland might play Link.Most synonymous with Spider-Man, he would have been a harder sell as an actor to seamlessly blend in with this lead role.
The Legend of Zeldaalso had to consider its situation within the live-action medium. The characters are seen on screen and thus have to be able to appear younger. This is especially important for the longevity of the series, as the actors would still have to be young for a potentialLegend of Zeldasequel.
Since it was an animated film,The Super Mario Bros.movie and its sequels did not have to be concerned with such matters. In fact, it was probably better that the voice actors were adults already, as it would have been distracting to have any drastic vocal changes between the two movies. With live-action, there are more physical considerations.
For these reasons,The Legend of Zeldais definitely making the right choice with its casting. Relative will allow the audience to have a truly unique and new experience that they could not get with established stars. If successful, the film will also hopefully help launch careers for both young actors.
