Netflix has secured the exclusive streaming rights for The Legend of Zelda movie following its theatrical and home releases.
Scheduled to hit cinema screens on May 7, 2027, The Legend of Zelda is still shrouded in mystery, although we do have a few stills of Link actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason as Zelda. The long-awaited live-action adaptation was announced in November 2023, and is produced by Nintendo’s legendary creative boss Shigeru Miyamoto alongside Avi Arad, former CEO of Marvel Studios. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Wes Ball is directing, from a screenplay by Jurassic World writer Derek Connolly.
The news comes as part of a new deal brokered between the streaming service and Sony Pictures Entertainment in a “first of its kind” agreement that will see the production company’s upcoming slate of movies released on Netflix globally. A similar deal is currently in place for selected regions around the world, including the U.S., Germany, and Southeast Asia, but these new terms will now open it up completely.
“The new global Pay-1 arrangement will roll out gradually starting later this year as individual territory rights become available, with full global availability on Netflix in early 2029,” Sony Pictures said. “As part of this deal, Netflix will also license rights to select SPE feature film and television library titles.”
Some of the movies in the deal include the final part of the animated Spider-Verse trilogy, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopics, and, of course, the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie.
Rest assured, though, fellow physical media fans. The Zelda movie will still be released on disc after its theatrical run, so if you really do crave that high fidelity transfer, you won’t be stuck on a streaming 4K bitrate if that isn’t quite good enough for you.
Which The Legend of Zelda game do you think the movie’s story will take inspiration from the most? The costuming certainly suggests Twilight Princess may be a touchpoint, but I can’t help but feel it will ride on the success of Breath of the Wild when it comes to plot and the look of Ganon. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Image credit: Nintendo.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
