If you've been scrolling on social media this past week and you've come across conversation about Hunter Schafer and The Legend of Zelda more than once, you are not alone.
Over the last few years, we've been living a video game live-action renaissance. With Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Resident Evil paving the way in the ‘00s, more and more Hollywood studios are looking to consoles for inspiration for their next titles — and with great success. Take The Last of Us, for example, which has become one of HBO’s most-watched shows of all time, often beating its own viewership records.
Next, we will also get an adaptation of the popular action role-playing game Elden Ring by A24, and, of course, Nintendo is also jumping on the wave and bringing on one of its most beloved IPs, The Legend of Zelda, to the real world with a live-action adaptation.
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If you've never played any of the Zelda games available on the market, allow us to recap them really quickly for you. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, the video games are played through a silent protagonist, the Hylian hero named Link. Link is on his quest around the kingdom of Hyrule to save Princess Zelda, the guardian of the Triforce of Wisdom.
While details about the Legend of Zelda movie are pretty much still non-existent, there's chatter that the Euphoria star Hunter Schafer could be eyed to bring the famed princess to life, which has triggered all sorts of reactions online. If you are confused, we break down all the speculation and drama below.
Is the Legend of Zelda movie really happening?
Yes, the Legend of Zelda movie is very much a reality, and it is being co-produced by Sony and Nintendo. Production was first announced in 2023 with Wes Ball (Maze Runner, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) as director, Derek Connolly as screenwriter and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto as producer. (ICYMI: Miyamoto also produced 2023’s box office hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie.)
Avi Arad, known for his work on the Spider-Man live-action movies and the Spider-Verse animated films, also serves as a producer. While not much else is known about the movie, Nintendo and Sony have already locked a 26 March 2027 premiere.
When did Hunter Schafer's casting rumours for The Legend of Zelda start?
Aside from the crew, Hunter Schafer's name is perhaps one of the first to be linked to the Legend of Zelda movie, but it is worth noting that so far, it's all rumours and speculation, as neither Nintendo nor Sony has spoken about casting yet.
Hunter Schafer began being associated with the project after well-known “scooper” DanielRPK, notorious for sharing Hollywood leaks, claimed she was in talks to nab the role of Princess Zelda, with outlets like The Independent reporting on the rumours.
When did the drama begin?
While Hunter Schafer has long been a perfect dream cast for Zelda, given her striking resemblance to the character, drama began to unfold after popular aggregated news account @Screentime reshared DanielRPK's “intel” on X, formerly Twitter.
The account's post, which accumulated almost 80 million views in barely five days, has been filled with vitriol. While many are leaving transphobic comments, plenty of others are speaking up in support of Schafer, claiming her casting would be more than perfect for the upcoming live-action and boiling down detractors to prejudice against trans people.
“Imagine being so bigoted you can't see this as the most perfect casting for Princess Zelda just because you're a tr*nsphobe,” someone commented with a side-by-side of Schafer and the character. “She looks the part more than anyone I can think of,” a second person wrote. “The same people who complain about DEI because it ‘prioritises identity over skill’ will complain about Schafer because they don’t like her identity… despite her having the skill AND the looks for the part,” a third one added.
What has Hunter Schafer said?
While Schafer has not yet reacted to the negative comments about her rumoured casting — nor should she have to — she has previously addressed comparisons with the fictional character and opened up about how it'd feel to play her.
Back in 2022, after a fan edit of the actor as Zelda went viral on social media, Entertainment Tonight asked Schafer if she'd be down to bring the character to life at some point, and her response was an immediate yes — not only that but she's also a big fan of the game series.
“That would be so cool," Schafer said when asked if she could see herself portraying Zelda. “I played that video game a bunch when I was a kid. That’s such a good game.”
"I've seen another wave of the fan cast and everything, which is just really sweet," Schafer added. “I'm honoured that they even think of me for that.”
This article was originally published on Teen Vogue.
