Australian actor Uli Latukefu is set to play Ganondorf in Nintendo's live-action Legend of Zelda film, according to Deadline, which reported that he has signed a multi-movie deal for the role. New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan was first to surface the casting, writing that he had "been hearing" Latukefu landed the part — though the studio has not yet officially confirmed it. Deadline

Latukefu is best known for playing a young Dwayne Johnson in the NBC sitcom Young Rock. His film credits include Black Adam, Next Goal Wins, and MaXXXine, and he recently appeared in the Prime Video series Countdown. The role of Ganondorf — a powerful warlock king driven to dominate the kingdom of Hyrule — places him opposite the film's two leads, who were announced in July 2026: Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link. GameSpot

Latukefu's casting is the first to emerge since those leads were revealed. Deadline also reports that T.S. Nowlin penned the most recent draft of the screenplay. Producing the film are Shigeru Miyamoto — who co-created The Legend of Zelda with Takashi Tezuka for its 1986 debut under Nintendo — and Marvel veteran Avi Arad. Sony first announced in autumn 2023 that it would co-finance and distribute the film with Nintendo. Deadline

Leaked set photos, reported by GameSpot, suggest another name may be in the mix: Dichen Lachman, known from the thriller series Severance, appears to be playing Impa — a character long associated with the Zelda franchise as a protector and attendant to the royal family. That casting has not been officially confirmed.

For fans of the games, the film arrives alongside a fresh entry in the franchise itself: a remake of Ocarina of Time for Nintendo's Switch 2 console, scheduled for release in 2026. The convergence of a major theatrical adaptation and a flagship game remake in the same year gives the franchise one of its busiest stretches since the original NES release nearly four decades ago.

Latukefu's multi-movie deal signals that Nintendo and Sony are building toward more than a single film. Whether that ambition plays out at the box office is a question for later — for now, the pieces are moving into place.