Nintendo has spent most of the past year keeping the supporting cast of its live-action The Legend of Zelda movie surprisingly quiet. Now, with filming already complete, some of those secrets are finally starting to come out.
Deadline reports that the late Sam Neill filmed an undisclosed role in the movie before his death, while Severance actress Dichen Lachman and The Handmaid’s Tale star Yvonne Strahovski are also part of the cast. The report arrived the same day Deadline revealed that Uli Latukefu is set to play Ganondorf.
For a movie that officially had little more than Link and Zelda attached to its cast for months, Hyrule suddenly feels quite a bit more populated.
Sam Neill Filmed a Mystery Zelda Role Before His Death
The biggest surprise is undoubtedly Sam Neill.
Deadline reports that Neill completed work on The Legend of Zelda before the production wrapped earlier this year. His character has not been revealed, and at the moment there does not appear to be any reliable information pointing toward who he played.
Neill died on July 13, 2026 at the age of 78. The New Zealand actor leaves behind a career spanning decades, with roles in films including Jurassic Park, The Piano, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and The Hunt for Red October. His appearance in The Legend of Zelda will now be among his final screen performances.
Calling Zelda definitively his “final role” may be a little premature. Neill also completed other projects that have yet to be released, including Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort. Deadline itself describes Zelda as one of his final performances, potentially the last depending on how those projects ultimately reach audiences.
There is also something fitting about Neill appearing in the film considering much of The Legend of Zelda was shot in New Zealand, the country he called home for much of his life.
As for his character, Nintendo is keeping that particular treasure chest locked for now.
Dichen Lachman Is Reportedly Playing Impa
The Dichen Lachman news is less of a surprise, but it does appear to settle one of the biggest mysteries created by last year’s leaked set footage.
According to Deadline, Lachman is playing Impa, Princess Zelda’s longtime protector and advisor.
Back in November 2025, footage recorded near the New Zealand production showed Bo Bragason’s Zelda interacting with another woman on horseback. Fans quickly identified the actress as Lachman and theorized that she was playing Impa.
We covered that footage at Zelda Central at the time, although there was no official confirmation of either Lachman’s involvement or the character she was portraying. Deadline’s new report makes those early guesses look remarkably accurate.
Lachman should also be familiar to viewers of Severance, where she plays Ms. Casey. Her credits include Altered Carbon, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Jurassic World Dominion and, interestingly enough, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. That last film was directed by Zelda director Wes Ball, making this a reunion between the two.
Impa has taken dramatically different forms throughout the Zelda series, from the fierce Sheikah warrior of Ocarina of Time to the elderly village leader seen in Breath of the Wild. Nothing currently indicates that the movie is adapting one specific incarnation.
Yvonne Strahovski Is Playing a Queen, But Which One?
Yvonne Strahovski’s casting may raise even more questions.
Deadline could not identify her exact character, but sources told the outlet that she is playing a queen.
And that wording is going to keep Zelda fans busy for a while.
The obvious possibility is the Queen of Hyrule, potentially Princess Zelda’s mother. Zelda’s mother has been referenced within the games, most notably in Breath of the Wild, but the movie would have considerable freedom to develop the character in a way the games never have.
There are other possibilities. Tears of the Kingdom introduced Queen Sonia, for example, and there is nothing stopping the movie from creating its own royal character or borrowing pieces from several eras of Zelda history.
For now, though, anything beyond “queen” is speculation.
Strahovski is best known for playing Sarah Walker on Chuck and Serena Joy Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale, along with major roles in Dexter and 24: Live Another Day.
The Zelda Movie Cast Is Finally Taking Shape
The latest reports dramatically expand what we know about the movie’s cast.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is playing Link, with Bo Bragason starring opposite him as Princess Zelda. Deadline has now reported Uli Latukefu as Ganondorf, Lachman as Impa, Strahovski as an unidentified queen, and Neill in a still-secret role.
That is quite a jump from where things stood only a short time ago.
Nintendo and Sony still haven’t revealed the movie’s story, and that may be the biggest mystery remaining. The costumes and locations seen during production have pulled from recognizable Zelda imagery without clearly pointing toward a direct adaptation of any single game. That could mean Wes Ball and Nintendo are building a new version of Hyrule using characters, designs and ideas from across the series rather than retelling Ocarina of Time, Breath of the Wild or another existing adventure.
Nintendo originally announced the live-action project in 2023. Wes Ball is directing, with Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad among the producers. Sony Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution.
Production wrapped in New Zealand earlier this year.
The Legend of Zelda is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters worldwide on April 30, 2027, after Nintendo moved the film forward one week from its previous May 7 release date.
And with Ganondorf, Impa, a mystery queen and now Sam Neill entering the picture, there are suddenly a lot more pieces of this particular Triforce falling into place.
