Sam Neill's Zelda Film Among Three Final Roles — SkimNews
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- Sam Neill completed filming an undisclosed role in the forthcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie before dying of pneumonia last month at age 78
- The Zelda film wrapped shooting in April and is set for release in May next year; fans have speculated Neill could play the King of Hyrule, though his character has not been announced
- Neill also filmed parts in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova (scheduled for next March) and The Last Resort, a romcom co-starring Daisy Ridley — giving him three posthumous releases next year
- The Legend of Zelda franchise, launched by Nintendo in 1986, has sold an estimated 170-190 million copies across more than 20 main titles, making it Nintendo's third-biggest franchise after Super Mario and Pokémon
- Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason lead the film as Link and Princess Zelda, directed by Wes Ball (Maze Runner trilogy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes)
- Neill built a five-decade career especially beloved in horror and fantasy, with landmark roles in Possession, Omen III, In the Mouth of Madness, and three Jurassic Park films
Why it matters: The Zelda film marks Nintendo's first live-action move into a franchise that has sold an estimated 170-190 million copies since 1986 — a scale rivaling its Super Mario and Pokémon adaptations. Neill's three upcoming posthumous releases give audiences a final stretch of work from a five-decade horror-and-fantasy staple whose casting in a fantasy franchise like Zelda closes a narrative circle for longtime fans.
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