Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth cast as leads in ‘Legend of Zelda’ live-action movie

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth arrives at the world premiere of "Pinocchio" on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Nintendo has confirmed that Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play the lead characters in an upcoming live-action film based on the smash hit video game series “The Legend of Zelda.”

In a post on Nintendo’s official X account, video game designer and film producer Shigeru Miyamoto said he was “pleased to announce” that Bragason would play Zelda and Ainsworth would play Link.

“I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen,” the post reads.

“The film is scheduled to be released in theatres on May 7, 2027. Thank you for your patience,” a follow-up post adds.

English actress Bragason, 25, is best known for appearing in Disney+ series “Renegade Nell” and BBC series “Three Girls” and “The Jetty.”

Ainsworth, 16, is also English. He has appeared in TV series such as Netflix’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor” and the film “Flora & Ulysses.”

The classic “Zelda” video game, first released by Nintendo in 1986, follows hero Link, who must defeat a pig-like monster named Ganon along his journey to rescue Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule, according to an official synopsis.

The original game has been followed by at least 20 newer versions over almost four decades, the most recent being “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” which was released last year.

Miyamoto will co-produce the film along with Avi Arad, chairman of Arad Productions Inc., according to a statement from Nintendo announcing the project in November 2023.

Arad is a veteran film producer who has worked on many successful comic book movie franchises, including the various “Spider-Man” films, as well as the “Iron Man” and “X-Men” movies.

Wes Ball, best known for his work on 2024 movie “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” will direct the film, which will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., the statement added.

By Jack Guy, CNN