While news of a new Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo Switch 2 would definitely be welcome, for fans of the franchise, any updates about the upcoming live-action film are almost just as good. While specific details of its plot are still under wraps, the roles of Link and Zelda for the movie have officially been filled, with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio) as Link and Bo Bragason (Renegade Nell) as Zelda. It's good to finally have these roles confirmed, as it not only puts an end to countless rumors but also confirms that production of the live-action Zelda film is still on the move.

Perhaps even more than that, however, the talents chosen for these roles reflect a sea change that has been increasingly solidified in modern Zelda games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Up to this point, the Legend of Zelda community might have been pondering more about what Link and Zelda would look like in the live-action movie without necessarily considering their age, but the ages of both Ainsworth and Bragason confirm all the more the route the franchise has been taking over the last decade.

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By Josh Cotts

Zelda's Child Hero Really Does Seem to Be a Thing of the Past

Modern Zelda Games Reflect a Shift in Age and Tone

One of the most iconic aspects of classic Zelda games is their portrayal of Link and Zelda as children (or at least pre-teens) with a destiny much older and larger than they are. Most notably, this is the standout characteristic of Ocarina of Time, which sees players regularly traveling forward and backwards in time in order to progress the narrative and Link and Zelda's ages changing as a result. In fact, Ocarina of Time is the first game in the series to explicitly portray Link as a child, with subsequent entries like Majora's Mask and Four Swords taking up the mantle and continuing that tradition.

More recently, though, Zelda games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have portrayed Link and Zelda exclusively as adults. While Twilight Princess was technically the first game in the series to explicitly and exclusively depict Link as an adult, it wasn't until the release of Tears of the Kingdom that it picked up steam as a trend for the franchise, with Echoes of Wisdom then seemingly maintaining that trend by once again featuring a version of Princess Zelda in her late teens or early twenties.

The tendency of modern Zelda games to feature adult versions of Link and Zelda is likely linked to the series' core audience, which presumably consists of gamers who are now in their 30s and 40s.

This change in age does more than simply alter each character's appearance too, and generally causes a noticeable shift in the tone of each game's narrative. Classic Zelda stories revolving around a child Link and Zelda have always felt a bit more playful and adventurous, whereas modern Zelda games that feature adult versions of the characters lean more on the emotional, introspective side of things. In these games, the journeys of Link and especially Zelda reflect more mature themes like memory, personal responsibility, and sacrifice.

The Live-Action Casting Pushes the Franchise Further

Now, it seems the upcoming live-action Zelda movie is pushing the franchise even further in that direction, as it has cast two talents in the roles of Link and Zelda who are in their late teens and early twenties, respectively. Specifically, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who will be playing Link, will be turning 18 near the end of September 2025. Bo Bragason, on the other hand, is currently 21 years old. What's most peculiar about each actor's age, though, is that they circle the ages of Link and Zelda through the story of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Link and Zelda were roughly 17 years old during the events of Breath of the Wild, but it's likely 2–3 years passed between then and Tears of the Kingdom, making them both closer to 20 years old in the sequel. In other words, this casting choice could be even further proof that The Legend of Zelda will never (or more rarely) return to Link and Zelda as children, thus potentially marking the official end of an era for the series. Perhaps Zelda will implement time-traveling mechanics again, as it did in Ocarina of Time, and fans will get to play as child Link once more. However, it's looking increasingly unlikely as time moves forward.

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