How Many Legend of Zelda Films Are There?
Zero live-action Legend of Zelda films have ever been released. The first one — Wes Ball's Sony/Nintendo co-production starring Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth — is in post-production and releases worldwide on May 7, 2027.
Released films — for now
Counts down to 00:00 UTC on the worldwide theatrical release date. Originally March 26, 2027 — delayed six weeks by Miyamoto in June 2025.
Zelda On Screen — The Numbers
Every Zelda Screen Adaptation, In Order
Only two count as proper films. The rest are TV, cutscenes, or never-built pitches.
The Legend of Zelda (animated TV)
198913 episodes by DiC Entertainment, aired Fridays inside The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Created Link's catchphrase "Well, excuuuse me, princess!" Reviled by fans at the time, cult-loved now.
Link: The Faces of Evil (Philips CD-i)
1993Nintendo licensed Zelda to Philips during the failed SNES-CD partnership. Animation Magic produced the infamous cheap cutscenes ("My boy!" / "Mah boi!") that became 1990s internet meme fuel.
Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (Philips CD-i)
1993Released the same day as Faces of Evil. Princess Zelda is the playable character — 31 years before Echoes of Wisdom did the same thing officially.
Zelda's Adventure (Philips CD-i)
1994The third and last CD-i Zelda. Used live-action FMV instead of cartoon cutscenes. Nintendo has spent three decades pretending none of these exist.
Imagi Animation pitch (leaked)
2007A CG animated Zelda pitch reel by Imagi Animation Studios surfaced online in 2007. Nintendo killed it. Shigeru Miyamoto stated repeatedly through the 2000s and 2010s that no film was in development.
Netflix live-action series rumour
2015The Wall Street Journal reported in March 2015 that Netflix and Nintendo were in early talks on a live-action Zelda series. Nintendo declined to confirm; the project died quietly.
Sony / Nintendo live-action film announced
2023On November 7, 2023, Miyamoto announced via Twitter that Sony Pictures and Nintendo had been developing a live-action Zelda film, with Wes Ball directing. The first true theatrical Zelda movie.
The Legend of Zelda (live-action)
2027Theatrical release May 7, 2027. Directed by Wes Ball. Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link. Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad producing. Filmed in New Zealand.
The 2027 Film — Cast & Crew
Confirmed credits as of Sony's CinemaCon presentation, April 2026.
Why Nintendo Waited 37 Years
The 1993 Mario disaster. Bob Hoskins as Mario. Dennis Hopper as Bowser. A $48 million budget; $20.9 million box office. Hoskins later called it the worst job he ever took. The film was so traumatic for Nintendo that Miyamoto refused to license a single live-action property for the next three decades.
Miyamoto's veto. Through the 2000s and 2010s, Miyamoto stated publicly and repeatedly that no Zelda film was in the works. He killed an Imagi Animation pitch around 2007. The 2015 Netflix live-action rumour died inside a year — Nintendo never even confirmed talks happened.
The Mario Movie changed his mind. Universal and Illumination's animated Super Mario Bros. Movie opened April 5, 2023 and grossed $1.36 billion worldwide. Within seven months, Miyamoto announced the live-action Zelda film. He is producing it personally — only the second time he's done that for a film, after Mario.
Wes Ball had been pitching it for 13 years. In 2010 the unknown VFX artist tweeted that "the next big mo-cap Avatar-like movie should be… THE LEGEND OF ZELDA." By 2024 he was Sony's pick to direct it. He reposted the tweet alongside a Back to the Future GIF the day his casting was announced.
The delay isn't a panic move. The original release was March 26, 2027. On June 9, 2025, Miyamoto announced a six-week slip to May 7, 2027 "to make the film as good as it can be." The new slot was opened up by Disney moving Avengers: Secret Wars to December 2027. Principal photography wrapped April 2026, on schedule.
The CD-i Question (Do They Count?)
In 1991, Nintendo signed a doomed deal with Philips to build a CD-ROM add-on for the SNES. When the partnership collapsed, Philips kept the right to use Nintendo characters in CD-i games. The result: three Zelda titles Nintendo had nothing to do with — Link: The Faces of Evil (1993), Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (1993), and Zelda's Adventure (1994).
The first two were animated by Russian studio Animation Magic for roughly $600,000 each, and the cutscenes — Link's "Mah boi! This peace is what all true warriors strive for!" — became foundational early-internet meme material in the YouTube Poop era.
Nintendo has never re-released them, never referenced them, and never publicly acknowledged the cast voice work. The cutscenes are about 8–12 minutes per game — closer to interstitials than to films. We don't count them in our headline number.
Quiz: Zelda On Screen Trivia
10 questions on the film, the cast, and 35 years of attempts. Share your score.
In what year was the live-action Legend of Zelda film officially announced?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Legend of Zelda movie?
Not yet — but one is in post-production. Wes Ball is directing a live-action film for Sony Pictures and Nintendo. Worldwide release date: May 7, 2027.
When does the Zelda movie come out?
May 7, 2027. Originally announced for March 26, 2027, then delayed six weeks. Miyamoto: "we will take the extra time to make the film as good as it can be."
Who is playing Link and Zelda?
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link (the voice of Disney's 2022 Pinocchio) and Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda (Three Girls, Renegade Nell). Both are British. The wider cast has not been announced.
Will the Zelda movie be live-action or animated?
Live-action. Wes Ball has said he wants it to feel like "live-action Miyazaki" — heavy on practical photography with VFX support, not a fully CG Mario-style film.
Was there ever a Zelda cartoon?
Yes — a 13-episode animated TV series produced by DiC Entertainment ran in autumn 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. It's famous mostly for Link's catchphrase "Well, excuuuse me, princess!"
Are the CD-i Zelda games official?
Technically licensed, but Nintendo refuses to acknowledge them. Three were released by Philips in 1993–94 after a failed SNES-CD deal. Their animated cutscenes are widely mocked but aren't films — closer to 10-minute interstitials.
Sources
- Variety — "Legend of Zelda Live-Action Film in Development from Nintendo and Maze Runner Director Wes Ball", November 7, 2023.
- The Hollywood Reporter — "Legend of Zelda Live-Action Movie to Release in 2027", March 28, 2025.
- Variety — "Sony Moves The Legend of Zelda Live-Action Movie to May 2027", June 9, 2025 (carrying Miyamoto's statement).
- The Hollywood Reporter — "Legend of Zelda Movie: Production Wraps Ahead of 2027 Release", April 15, 2026 (Sony CinemaCon presentation).
- Deadline — "Legend Of Zelda Live-Action Pic… Now Kicking Off Summer 2027", June 2025.
- Wall Street Journal — March 23, 2015 (Netflix Zelda series report, never confirmed by Nintendo).
- Wes Ball, X/Twitter, January 8, 2010 — the original "mo-cap Avatar-like" Zelda pitch.
- Shigeru Miyamoto, official Nintendo statement via Twitter, November 7, 2023 and June 9, 2025.
More From The Zelda Cluster
How Many Zelda Games Are There?
21 mainline + remakes + spinoffs. The newest is Echoes of Wisdom (2024).
How Many Zelda Timelines Are There?
Three official branches + the Convergence theory. Interactive explorer.
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How Many James Bond Films?
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For 37 years Hyrule lived only inside a cartridge. In a little under 12 months, that changes.