By Shake it off
- by Jim Norman
Nintendo has officially revealed the live-action appearances for Zelda and Link in the forthcoming Zelda film with a set of three official images (in contrast to the leaked ‘on-set’ footage that surfaced online days prior).
We’ve received our initial glimpse of Benjamin Evan Ainsworth’s Link and Bo Bragason’s Princess Zelda in their complete Hylian attire, and while it’s far from a thorough examination of either, there’s no disputing that certain video game inspiration has influenced the design decisions — who would have expected that!
Starting off with the Hero of Hyrule himself, and we’re not alone in feeling some serious Twilight Princess vibes from his appearance, are we? The dark green tunic is a series trademark — with some exceptions, naturally — but that cream undershirt combined with the leather fingerless gloves and cross-body strap gives a strong hint of the shape-shifting ruggedness we first witnessed back in 2006.
We can’t discern any chainmail from this first glimpse, mind you, and the iconic hat is absent, so we’ll make a small mention of the Breath of the Wild Champion’s Tunic while we’re here. Certainly, it’s green instead of blue, but the detailing around the collar adds a certain Switch-y flair to the entire ensemble.
Zelda’s live-action reinterpretation isn’t as straightforward in its game inspirations as Link’s, but the blue gown comes straight from the BOTW/TOTK lookbook. It lacks some elements that truly made those designs stand out — the white and gold embellishments, the bulkiness of the belt, the cape (in TOTK’s instance) — but the color scheme definitely presents a more contemporary appearance for the princess compared to the classic pink ballgowns of yesteryear.
Of course, a feature-length duration implies that there will likely be ample opportunity for various looks beyond those we’ve witnessed in today’s photos, but we’re genuinely impressed with this initial preview — even if we do wish that Zelda’s outfit was a bit more intricate.
The significant question is, what are your thoughts on these live-action appearances? You can share your opinions in the following polls, and then feel free to comment on what you appreciate and what you would alter.
Jim joined Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his claim that The Minish Cap is the finest Zelda game and his steadfast affection for the Star Wars prequels (yes, seriously), he has persisted in writing news and features for the site ever since.