The Japan Times - Lead actors announced for 'Legend of Zelda' movie

The film's release is set for May 2027, joining a stream of game adaptations from "Super Mario" to "Sonic the Hedgehog" that have stormed the box office in recent years.

Bo Bragason will play Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play Link -- an elf warrior who swordfights his way through a monster-filled fantasy world -- Nintendo said on social media platform X on Wednesday.

"I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen," said the post attributed to game designer and Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto.

Miyamoto, the co-producer of "Super Mario", created the "Zelda" universe in 1986. Since then, the hugely popular series has sold more than 140 million games worldwide.

Its latest installment, 2024's "The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom", saw the titular character shed her role as a damsel in distress to be the heroine for the first time.

Bragason has previously starred in the British TV series "Three Girls" and "Renegade Nell", while Ainsworth was the voice of Pinocchio in a 2022 movie remake.

Before the announcement, online speculation had been rife that US trans actress Hunter Schafer, known for HBO hit show "Euphoria", might be picked for the part of Zelda.

The movie, directed by Wes Ball of the "Maze Runner" trilogy, is a big-screen first for Zelda, although the game was adapted for a 13-episode animated series in 1989.

Movie adaptations of hit video games have become big business, with Nintendo's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" the second-highest grossing film of 2023.

Among other titles being developed into films are Japan's "Elden Ring" and US life-simulation game series "The Sims".

M.Saito--JT