The Legend of Zelda movie adds Planet of the Apes star to A-list cast

The Legend of Zelda film’s cast just keeps getting bigger, as Wes Ball (of recent Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes fame) is not only helming Nintendo’s live-action gamble but now bringing in some familiar faces from his past projects. No surprise, really — directors do love their comfort zone — but this time it’s Lydia Peckham landing the mystery role. Yes, the very same Peckham who was part of Ball’s Apes reboot.

The Legend of Zelda live-action movie lands in cinemas on 30 April 2027.

Hyrule’s latest arrival

So what’s Lydia Peckham actually doing in all this? That’s the big question. Ball and Peckham clearly have a knack for collaboration — after working together on the 2024 Planet of the Apes sequel (which, just by the way, did pretty well for itself at the box office, pulling in almost $395 million off a $160 million budget), he’s now tapped her again for his upcoming trip to Hyrule. Studio reps have clammed up on what character she’ll be playing, and Peckham’s own team are nowhere to be found. In other words, it’s all very much under the cloak for now.

Peckham’s recently wrapped up work leading Netflix drama Kennedys, where she plays Rosemary Kennedy. If you haven’t caught her before, you might’ve glimpsed her in The Burning of Broken Beak, The Wrecking Crew, Robin Hood, Nuremberg, or that Logan Marshall thriller Seen. It’s not a household name just yet, but the CV’s nothing to sniff at.

The ensemble quest

This isn’t just a Ball-and-Peckham reunion affair, though. The Zelda film is building a genuinely intriguing cast. Rounding out the leads, there’s Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link, with Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda. Dichen Lachman, Uli Latukefu, and Yvonne Strahovski are all on board as well, and in one of his final roles, the late Sam Neill features somewhere in the ensemble.

• Wes Ball (director, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes)
• Lydia Peckham (role not yet announced)
• Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Link)
• Bo Bragason (Princess Zelda)
• Dichen Lachman
• Uli Latukefu
• Yvonne Strahovski
• Sam Neill (posthumous role)

And if you’re after any scrap of plot detail, it’s all still tightly guarded. What’s public tracks with the familiar: Link and Zelda striving to save Hyrule from the ever-so-subtle Ganon, who’s gone from warlord to demon king. Beyond that, expect Nintendo to keep details locked up for a while yet.