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Published Aug 6, 2026, 3:06 PM EDT
The 2027 film based on Nintendo's popular RPG series has found its villain
Legend of Zelda movie finds its Ganondorf in first major update in ages
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Can you believe The Legend of Zelda movie was announced all the way back in 2023? Aside from revealing the actors who will play Link and Zelda, and news of a delay, we've barely learned anything about the movie in the three years since. But in August 2026, the information blackout officially came to an end. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the live action version of series villain, Ganondorf.
The iconic Triforce of Power wielder will be played by Australian actor Uli Latukefu, who has reportedly signed a multi-year film deal with Nintendo, according to Deadline. The 42-year-old is known for playing Dwayne Johnson in NBC's Young Rock series, and appeared in the Netflix series Marco Polo as well.
The movie is a joint production between Nintendo and Sony, and will be directed by Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' Wes Ball. Scheduled for release in April 2027, the adaptation of the beloved RPG series will star Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link. Though the cast is relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, viewers of Season 3 of House of the Dragon have gotten a taste of Ainsworth's acting skills as Daeron Targaryen. Ainsworth's role in the gritty fantasy series features few lines, but his appearance has nevertheless inspired confidence in the Zelda movie's casting. The young actor is often shown silently reacting expressively to events around him, all while cloaked in a green costume.
In 2024, director Wes Ball told Polygon that he wanted to make a Zelda film that felt "grounded" and "real." The movie, which is being filmed in New Zealand, has already suffered leaks of its set and of other, unannounced cast members.The movie wrapped filming in April 2026.
In light of the Super Mario Galaxy movie's $1 billion box office success, Nintendo's most recent financial results say that the live-action Zelda movie is a part of a broader plan.
"Going forward, we will take a variety of approaches to continually create contact points with Nintendo characters all over the world, working to convey the appeal of Nintendo's entertainment offerings to an even wider audience," the company said in the statement.
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