Australian actor Uli Latukefu has been cast as Ganondorf in the live-action Legend of Zelda film, according to Deadline's sources — and he has signed a multi-picture deal to play the franchise's signature villain across multiple films (Deadline; VGC).

Latukefu is best known for playing the young Dwayne Johnson in the TV series Young Rock. He also appeared in Netflix's Marco Polo and played Hurut in the 2022 film Black Adam. The Zelda role marks his highest-profile casting to date.

Ganondorf is the recurring antagonist of the Legend of Zelda games — a powerful sorcerer and warlord who serves as the dark mirror to the series' hero, Link. Nintendo confirmed earlier that Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play Link and Bo Bragason will play Zelda, with both actors shown in the first official photos from the production (VGC).

A second Deadline report, published on 6 August 2026, named three more cast members: Sam Neill, Yvonne Strahovski, and Dichen Lachman (Deadline). Lachman plays Impa, Zelda's guardian and mentor — a character who has appeared in the games since the original 1986 release. Strahovski appears as a queen character. Neill's role could not be confirmed, though he is not playing Ganondorf (Kotaku).

Neill filmed his part before his death last month, making the Zelda movie his final film performance (Deadline; VGC). The New Zealand-born actor, whose career spanned five decades, was best known for Jurassic Park, The Piano, and the television series Peaky Blinders.

The film wrapped principal photography in April. Wes Ball, whose directing credits include the Maze Runner trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is at the helm, with Gyula Pados serving as cinematographer. Sony Pictures is producing.

Nintendo has not officially confirmed the Latukefu, Neill, Strahovski, or Lachman castings. The reports rest on unnamed sources briefed to Deadline and VGC.

The Zelda movie is set for release on 30 April 2027. According to insider Daniel Richtman, all major acting roles were signed for a planned trilogy spanning six years, meaning Latukefu's multi-picture deal as Ganondorf may extend across three films (VGC).

For a franchise that has sold over 150 million units worldwide across nearly four decades, the casting announcements signal how seriously Nintendo and Sony are treating the adaptation. The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed over US$1.3 billion in 2023 — a figure that set the commercial benchmark for game-to-film adaptations and one the Zelda production will inevitably be measured against, fairly or not.