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Yesterday, Nintendo and Miyamoto announced the lead roles for the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. Taking the role of Link is Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason.
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Both are relatively unknown names in the world of acting, with Evan Ainsworth making a single appearance in an episode of Netflix’s Sandman, and Bragason having roles primarily in a range of smaller TV shows. Surprisingly, though, despite being relatively new to the scene, The Legend of Zelda won’t be Bragson’s first appearance in a video game-centric piece of media, previously appearing in an official Final Fantasy project.
Bo Bragason Previously Appeared In Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is an anime adaptation of Final Fantasy XV. It was released in 2016, just ahead of the launch of the game, and runs parallel to the events of the beginning of Square Enix’s title. It was here that Bo Bragason made her first appearance in the media.
As initially pointed out by Bazztek on Twitter, Bo Bragason performed the motion capture and served as the 3D scan model for Young Lunafreya Nox Fleuret in the movie. While the character was voiced by somebody else, Liliana Chomsky, Bragason’s likeness would have been seen, albeit briefly, by anyone who watched the movie. Given that it grossed an estimated $6.5 million in theaters from a limited release, before receiving a DVD, Blu-ray, and digital release, there were more than a few people who watched it.
Interestingly, adult Luna was played by Lena Headey of Game of Thrones fame.
The announcement of Bragason as Zelda and Evan Ainsworth as Link was quite a shock, but came in a fashion typical of recent Nintendo. Much like when the company announced the release date of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the cast for The Legend of Zelda’s live-action movie was announced in a single tweet from the company’s Twitter account.
There was some expectation that actress and model Hunter Schafer would play Zelda herself, but those rumors turned out to be false, with Nintendo preferring Bragason for the role. If you ask me, it’s pretty solid casting, and definitely points to an Ocarina of Time era adaptation.
