Sam Neill completed filming an unannounced role in Sony Pictures' live-action Legend of Zelda film before his death on 13 July 2026, making the fantasy adaptation one of the last films to capture him on screen (The Guardian, 7 August 2026).

The New Zealand-born actor, who died of pneumonia in Sydney, Australia, at the age of 78, had wrapped his part on the Zelda production when it finished shooting in April 2026 (The Guardian, 7 August 2026; Deadline, 6 August 2026). His family confirmed the death in a statement shared on social media the same day (Instagram, 17 July 2026).

Wes Ball, whose credits include the Maze Runner trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directs the film (The Guardian, 7 August 2026). Benjamin Evan Ainsworth plays Link, the green-tunic hero at the centre of the franchise, and Bo Bragason plays Princess Zelda (The Guardian, 7 August 2026). Uli Latukefu is the lead villain Ganondorf (Deadline, 6 August 2026). Dichen Lachman and Yvonne Strahovski joined the cast as well, Deadline reported on 6 August (Deadline, 6 August 2026).

The film is the first big-screen adaptation of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda, a series that began with a single cartridge game in 1986 and has since grown to more than 20 mainline titles (The Guardian, 7 August 2026). Sony is targeting a May 2027 release (The Guardian, 7 August 2026).

Neill's role had not been announced before his death. Once the casting emerged, fans were quick to suggest he would have been a fitting choice for the King of Hyrule, the monarch of the franchise's fantasy realm (The Guardian, 7 August 2026).

The Zelda film is not the only posthumous release on Neill's calendar. He also filmed parts in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, which is scheduled for release in March 2027 (The Guardian, 7 August 2026). And he shot a role in The Last Resort, a romantic comedy in which he plays the father of Daisy Ridley's character, also due out in 2027 (The Guardian, 7 August 2026).

For audiences, that means the actor best known to a generation as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park will appear in at least three more films after his passing. The Zelda role, kept quiet until now, carries its own particular weight: a beloved actor, a beloved game franchise, and a performance already locked in the can.