Live-Action Zelda Film Opens April 30, 2027, a Week Earlier Than Planned
A schedule pull-forward, rather than another delay, is a concrete signal that the production is on track after an earlier postponement from March to May 2027.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, Anime Corner.
The live-action Legend of Zelda film will now open worldwide on April 30, 2027. Nintendo Representative Director Shigeru Miyamoto announced the change on Wednesday through the company's social media accounts. The new date moves the premiere one week earlier than the previously scheduled May 7, 2027 release. That May date was itself a delay from the film's original March 26, 2027 target. Miyamoto said the team is working to deliver the film as soon as possible and noted there is less than a year until release. Wes Ball directs the project. Derek Connolly wrote the script. Bo Bragason stars as Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth stars as Link. Nintendo is financing more than half the production. Sony Pictures Entertainment is co-financing and will handle theatrical distribution. Miyamoto produces alongside Avi Arad of Arad Productions. The adaptation arrives after the commercial success of Nintendo's animated Super Mario Bros. Movie, which crossed one billion dollars worldwide in 2023. A sequel to that film premiered in April 2026.
The shift to April 30 was announced directly by Shigeru Miyamoto in a video message posted to Nintendo's social media accounts on Wednesday. "The team is working hard to deliver the film to everyone as soon as possible," Miyamoto said. "There's less than a year to go until release, so thank you for waiting."
Derek Connolly's previous credits include Jurassic World and Kong: Skull Island. The film is co-produced by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony will also handle theatrical distribution.
The original announcement of the live-action project followed the 2023 success of the animated Super Mario Bros. Movie, which opened in the U.S. and more than 60 markets worldwide. A sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, premiered in April 2026. Past attempts to adapt the Zelda franchise for screens include a 2015 report by The Wall Street Journal about a live-action Netflix series, which Nintendo later denied. In 2019, The Wrap reported that producer Adi Shankar was in talks for a Zelda television series, but Shankar clarified on Instagram that he was working on an animated Devil May Cry series instead.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.