Nintendo has been a powerhouse in the video game industry for decades, but the past few years have seen the company shine in the cinematic space. The Super Mario Bros. Movie became the first 2023 movie release to cross $1 billion, and in 2019, Detective Pikachu performed respectably at the box office. Now Nintendo has announced it’s developing a live-action Legend of Zelda movie, and fans already have a favorite choice for who should star as the titular protagonist.
Although Link is the primary character one plays as in this video game series, obviously you can’t have a Legend of Zelda movie without Zelda herself, the princess of the Hyrule kingdom and owner of the Triforce of Wisdom. While we’re a ways off from learning who will bring Princess Zelda to life in this upcoming adaptation, arguably the most popular fancast for the role is currently Hunter Schafer. Starting off, here’s what @skyferrori had to say:
there’s only one answer for princess zelda and that’s hunter schafer
If you’re unfamiliar with Schafer, she is best known for playing Jules Vaughn in the popular HBO series Euphoria. The actress made her film debut last year in Belle, and she’ll soon be seen as part of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast in the role of Tigris Snow, Coriolanus Snow’s cousin. So she’s already made quite the name for herself in the last few years, enough that a lot of people are in agreement that she should play Princess Zelda, including @PARTYLEXDOOR:
need hunter schafer as Zelda
Sometimes there are certain roles where many fans are in agreement about being the perfect fit for a specific role, and that’s what we have here with Hunter Schaefer and the live-action film adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. @kamkenobi commented:
We all agree Hunter Schafer should be Zelda, right?
With her blonde hair and facial features, Schaefer certainly does bare a striking resemblance to the way the character is traditionally depicted in the video games. Even though the Legend of Zelda movie has only recently been unveiled, enough people are already emotionally invested in this casting happening, with @flaccidraisin posting:
If Hunter Schafer isn’t cast as Zelda in the Legend of Zelda live action I will cry
A handful of fans have also suggested pairing a Hunter Schafer-played Zelda with an Elliot Page-played Link, with the latter actor chiefly known these days for being one of the leads on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. As @MikeyG_Spot put it:
The only way I care about this is if they cast Elliot Page as Link and Hunter Schafer as Zelda
But wait, there’s a cherry to go on top of the proverbial sundae! Schaefer was being fancast as Zelda long before Nintendo announced this movie, and when Entertainment Tonight informed the actress in 2022 about fans wanting her to play the role and asked her if she’d be interested in this, she responded:
I mean, yeah, that’d be cool! Like an elf? Yeah! And I mean, I played that video game a bunch when I was a kid. That’s such a good game. Wow!
Of course, just because a lot of fans want to see Hunter Schafer play Zelda doesn’t mean it will happen, but perhaps this clamoring will at least lead to the creative minds behind the upcoming movie to explore the possibility of bringing her aboard. While it’ll likely be a while until any official casting announcements are made, The Legend of Zelda already has Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Wes Ball attached to direct, and Avi Arad from Sony’s Marvel franchises is producing.
We’ll pass along updates on how The Legend of Zelda’s development is coming along as they come in. For now, if you’re looking to enjoy cinematic Nintendo stories, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Detective Pikachu can be respectively streamed with a Peacock subscription and Max subscription.