Behind the scenes images of the Legend Of Zelda movie have leaked and they show a surprisingly old school approach.
We’re just over a year away from the live action Legend Of Zelda movie andso far Nintendo has said virtually nothing about it, other than providing a first look at the movie’s leads: Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda.
Distributer Sony confirmed filming wrapped last week, during the CinemaCon presentation where it also announced a Bloodborne movie, so everything’s on track to meet the May 7, 2027 release date.
No new details were shared, but someone on the movie’s staff was a little too eager to express their excitement about reaching this milestone, as they shared previously unseen artwork of how Link will look in the final film.
Cinematographer Gyula Pados, who previously worked with director Wes Ball on the Maze Runner movies, shared behind the scenes photos on Instagram over the weekend.
They’ve since been deleted but naturally people saved them and have continued to repost the images across social media. For legal reasons we can’t embed them here, but you can easily find them on X.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
The most eye-catching image is from a clapperboard, which features art of Link, and while official photos confirmed he will be wearing green again, it looks like he’s also getting his original and iconic hat back.
It makes for a more classic depiction of the character (although the cape is brand new) and he can also be seen holding the Master Sword, which looks exactly like it does in the games.
While Link could wear his old green outfit in the newer Switch games – Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom – it’s a secret unlockable, with his modern blue attire serving as his default look for almost 10 years now.
Considering Zelda is wearing an outfit similar to her Breath Of The Wild attire, this all lends credence to the idea that the movie isn’t based on any one game.
Don’t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source
As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.
Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
That said, another image shows a drawing, most likely further concept art, that contains a couple of overt references to Ocarina Of Time. In the drawing, Link is holding the Kokiri’s Emerald, an important story item from that game.
Meanwhile, a third character we don’t recognise (possibly a new invention for the movie), is holding Navi, Link’s fairy partner from the same game.
Considering Nintendo is rumoured to be releasing a remake of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time soon, perhaps the film is drawing primarily from that game, as part of an attempt at brand synergy.
Whatever the case, Nintendo is likely very upset that these images have made their way online, although, at time of writing, it doesn’t appear to have gone on a copyright takedown spree, as the images are still freely viewable on social media.
The images also further reinforce that the movie will look very authentic to the games, although it’s still far too early to tell if it will be any good. Hopefully, there’ll be an actual story here and it won’t just rely on nostalgia, Easter eggs, and random cameos like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie did.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.