Nintendo has confirmed that the live-action Legend of Zelda movie will now arrive on May 7, 2027 instead of its original March 26 release date.
“We want to take sufficient time to make it a great film,” Shigeru Miyamoto said via Nintendo’s official X/Twitter account. “Please give us just a bit more time.”
And yes, it stings a bit. We’ve waited decades for Link to get the Hollywood treatment, and now we’re going to be waiting even longer. This is especially difficult when teases such as Hunter Schafer potentially playing Princess Zelda keep trickling through.
But if you’re worried this is a sign the new movie is in trouble, don’t be. In fact, this might be the most promising update yet. A delay like this isn’t a red flag, it’s a green light.
Nintendo needs time to cook The Legend of Zelda movie
Here’s the thing: Nintendo doesn’t mess around when it comes to protecting its legacy. This is the same company that allegedly cancelled a Netflix Zelda series because of a leak. It guards its IP like it’s the Master Sword – which is exactly why this delay should be seen as a blessing.
Let’s not forget the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Yes, it was animated. Yes, it had Chris Pratt doing a voice no one asked for. But it was a global juggernaut that pulled in over $1.3 billion at the box office. Why? Because Nintendo (and Illumination) nailed the tone. It was fun, faithful, and full of nostalgia without feeling like a cheap remix.
Zelda, on the other hand, is a trickier beast. It’s not just about jumping on Goombas – it’s myth, magic, prophecy, and heartbreak. One wrong step and it turns into another Warcraft. One right step, though? You’ve got your next Lord of the Rings.
The announcement has received a number of tongue-in-cheek comments from fans, with one writing that Zelda is “synonymous with delays, so you could say it’s a faithful recreation of the original.”
Even though this is a joke, it’s kind of true. Think about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That game took five years to develop, and it was well worth the wait. By redefining open-world, immersive storytelling, it is widely considered to be one of the best games of all time.
If the movie is aiming for anything close to that level of quality – and it should – then it needs time to cook.
And let’s be honest: if Nintendo had charged ahead and dropped a messy movie, there’d be pitchforks on Reddit before the first trailer even finished loading. A more comfortable 2027 date gives them time to polish, plan, and avoid becoming a meme on launch weekend.
So yes, it’s disappointing to wait. But if Nintendo can give us a Zelda film worthy of the Triforce, then May 2027 can’t come soon enough.
Asus and Lenovo’s handhelds get price hike as Valve pauses some Steam Deck sales