Zelda Movie Casting Choices Face Backlash From Fans

Zelda fans are voicing their thoughts on the recently-revealed cast for the upcoming movie based on the Nintendo series, and there’s a lot of negativity. While representing a game character with a real actor is always a bit jarring, numerous Zelda fans have taken to social media to complain about the casting choices.

Movie adaptations of games have traditionally not been particularly popular among gamers or non-gamers, but that seems to be shifting. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a recent successful game to movie adaptation, and the success of the film is leading to more movie projects based on Nintendo properties, including The Legend of Zelda.

Nintendo has now announced the casting for the leading roles in the upcoming Zelda movie, choosing Bo Bragason to play Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth to depict Link. While some fans are excited that the movie is one step closer to its release with this announcement, many have also taken to social media to decry the casting choices. Zelda fans have complained about everything from Ainsworth not having the right color of hair to the age difference between the actors, but it seems that the titular Princess’ casting is what’s drawing the most backlash.

Why are Zelda Fans Mad About Bo Bragason Getting the Role?

Hashtags such as “#NotMyZelda” have been circulating since the casting news broke, but not because of Bo Bragason herself. It seems many fans had their hearts set on a different actress to portray Princess Zelda, with the posts primarily expressing displeasure that Hunter Schafer won’t be playing the Princess. Schafer has been the fan-favorite for the role, and reports earlier in 2025 indicated that Schafer was being considered for the job. Schafer even commented on the idea back in 2023, when the actress said that she would love to play Zelda in the coming movie, and enjoyed the series as a kid.

It’s not known if the prior rumors were inaccurate, or if the casting director considered Schafer but ultimately decided on someone else. Of course, pleasing every Zelda fan with live-action casting would never be possible, but this has been a prevailing opinion and hope of the community for so long that it’s not surprising that complaints are now being voiced. However, Zelda is also far from the first adaptation of a beloved franchise to receive casting backlash, with another notable recent example leading to a member of the HBO Harry Potter cast turning off their Instagram comments due to constant angry remarks.