Hunter Schafer Eyed to Play Princess Zelda in Nintendo’s Live-Action THE LEGEND OF ZELDA Adventure Movie
There's already a lot of anticipation surrounding The Legend of Zelda live-action movie, and now a new rumor has just kicked the fan excitment into overdrive.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, Cuckoo and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star Hunter Schafer is reportedly being eyed for the role of Princess Zelda.
Schafer’s name has been floating around fantasy fan-casting circles for a while now, the actor has a strong résumé with roles in Euphoria, Kinds of Kindness, and now possibly even X-Men, as Schafer is also rumored to be in the mix to play Mystique in Marvel Studios’ reboot.
The live-action Legend of Zelda movie was officially announced by Nintendo in November 2023, with none other than Shigeru Miyamoto sharing the news himself.
He revealed that he’s working on the project alongside Spider-Man producer Avi Arad. That last part raised a few eyebrows, understandably, given Arad’s inconsistent track record, but it’s hard to ignore the sheer weight of the talent involved.
The movie is being directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), who will reportedly tackle this project before returning to Planet of the Apes sequels. Detective Pikachu and Jurassic World writer Derek Connolly is scripting it, and the whole thing is a Nintendo/Sony Pictures co-production.
The film is scheduled to hit theaters March 26, 2027, just one week after Sonic the Hedgehog 4. So, SEGA and Nintendo are about to square off again, this time in theaters.
So, what does this mean for Zelda herself? Schafer could be stepping into one of the most iconic roles in gaming history. Princess Zelda is no one-note royal, she’s been everything from a captive to a warrior to a literal ninja in disguise.
Most recently, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have shown her as a more independent and layered character, and a casting like Schafer would definitely signal that the film isn’t looking for a passive damsel.
The Legend of Zelda franchise began back in 1986 and has since become one of the most beloved and enduring video game series ever made. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, the games follow Link as he journeys across Hyrule to rescue Princess Zelda and stop the villainous Ganon.
It’s a classic good vs. evil fantasy tale, but one filled with mythology, emotional depth, and a surprising amount of mystery and philosophy, especially in its later entries.
Nintendo clearly sees the cinematic potential here, especially after the wild success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which pulled in over $1.3 billion at the global box office. With Zelda, there’s an opportunity to go deeper, less slapstick, more epic quest.
What do you think about Schafer taking on the role of Princess Zelda?