Filming has reportedly begun on Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda movie, with shooting set to take place in New Zealand until April next year.
A production listing filed by industry resource the Film & Television Industry Alliance (FTIA) has updated this week to reflect the project’s current “in production” status.
Filming is listed as being based in Wellington, New Zealand, and fans are already hoping the location will give Nintendo’s fantasy adventure the same kind of backdrops seen in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Details of the project remain largely under-wraps, other than Nintendo’s announcement back in July that young actors Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play Zelda and Link. A basic plot outline has also been shared, which describes the film thus:
“The Legend of Zelda follows Link, a young warrior destined to protect the magical kingdom of Hyrule from the forces of darkness. The land is under threat from Ganon, a ruthless warlord who seeks the Triforce — an ancient relic said to grant limitless power. To stop him, Link must embark on a perilous journey, battling monstrous creatures, exploring treacherous dungeons, and solving intricate puzzles to uncover sacred artifacts that can aid him in his quest.”
Officially announced in November 2023, Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda project is being produced by the company’s legendary creative boss Shigeru Miyamoto, alongside Avi Arad, former CEO of Marvel Studios.
Sony Pictures Entertainment will handle distribution in addition to co-financing the movie with Nintendo. Jurassic World’s Derek Connolly is writing the screenplay, while Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Wes Ball will direct.
Discussing the film in May 2024, director Wes Ball said the prospect of making an all mo-cap Zelda movie “probably isn’t his choice” after completing work on the green screen-heavy Apes franchise. Instead, Ball said, The Legend of Zelda should feel “grounded” and “real” — something that New Zealand’s backdrop will hopefully provide.
“I want to fulfill people’s greatest desires,” Ball said in another interview about the project. “I know it’s important, this franchise, to people, and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape… [It has] to feel like something real. Something serious and cool but fun and whimsical.”
The Legend of Zelda is currently set to launch on May 7, 2027, a date shared again by Nintendo this week as it teased plans for a “consistent release cadence” of video game movies over the next few years, following the box office success of its Super Mario Movie.
Here’s hoping that the start of filming will signal more news in the near future, including details of additional actors joining the movie’s cast. Fans are already hotly debating who might portray Ganon, with many hoping that Minecraft and Mario movie star Jack Black will take on the role.
Image credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
