The world lost a good actor recently with the death of Sam Neill. The “Jurassic Park” star won the hearts of fans over the years via movie and TV show appearances, and all eyes have been on whether he was working on projects at the time of his death.
There was one surprise movie mentioned, as it turns out he had been working on the live-action “The Legend of Zelda” movie. This could make his final ever appearance on-screen. Neill sadly passed away at the age of 78 on July 13, 2026, from pneumonia, following a recent battle with blood cancer that he had beaten. He was surrounded by his family in Sydney, Australia, at the time of his death.
Who Will Sam Neill Play in ‘The Legend of Zelda’?
GettyThe reveal came with the announcement that Uli Latukefu would appear in the movie, which wrapped in April. Latukefu will play the villain, Ganondorf, from the video game franchise, but the rest of the filming has been kept tightly under wraps. That means nobody knows who Neill is playing in the flick.
Deadline got the information about the role, but when the publication reached out to Sony or Neill’s former reps, nobody confirmed the news. It’s not clear if this will mark the final appearance for Neill on-screen, as there may have been other secret projects in the works. It’s common for actors and productions not to share all the details, as this helps to keep filming locations quiet and avoids too many spoilers being shared.
“The Legend of Zelda” is based on the video game of the same name. It’s not fully clear which of the games this movie will follow or whether it will opt for something similar to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” or “Fallout” by taking on a completely different story set within the universe to bring in new fans, but also honor the fans of the games.
More Actors Confirmed in ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Live-Action
GettyWhile confirming Neill will be in the movie, Deadline also learned that Dichen Lachman and Yvonne Strahovski will also star. Again, the details on who they will play have been kept quiet, but sources shared that “The Handmaid’s Tale” actress will take on a queen character, giving no extra details.
As for “Severance’s” Lachman, he is said to be playing the bodyguard and advisor Impa, who is close to Zelda in the games. As video game fans have already heard, Bo Bragason will take on the titular role, while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth was cast in the role of Link, the character everyone looked forward to playing in the Nintendo game.
Production has already wrapped, and “The Legend of Zelda” is slated for a May 7, 2027 release date. As we get closer to the release date, more news is sure to come out, and EntertainmentNow will keep a close eye on any details about Neill’s character, as well as any other casting updates. Maybe then there will be an idea of a storyline that will follow.
