Unless you’ve spent the last 38 years living under a rock in the mystical land of Hyrule (which probably has arms and legs and scurries around), you’ll know that The Legend of Zelda is an iconic video game series created by Nintendo.
While most of the entries in this series are unrelated to one another and exist as anthology-like tales, each game still features an incarnation of the main character Link, a young, sword-wielding, elf-like being who embarks on perilous quests to save Princess Zelda.
The critically acclaimed series began in 1986 in the “bird’s-eye-view” format before evolving into a sprawling, open-world, third-person role-playing adventure with 1998’s “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” on the then-hugely popular Nintendo 64 console.
Unlike most video game properties, The Legend of Zelda has miraculously managed to avoid getting the film adaptation treatment for so long. There was a television cartoon series that ran from September to December in 1989 (with a total of just 13 episodes), but that’s it.
But now, following the success of Universal and Illumination’s 3D-animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed $1.37B worldwide last year, Nintendo and Sony Pictures are developing the first-ever film adaptation of The Legend of Zelda in live action.
While little else is known, The Legend of Zelda movie will be helmed by The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) director Wes Ball, who has revealed that he wants the film to feel like “live-action Miyazaki,” referring to Hayao Miyazaki, the animated director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, which is responsible for classics like Spirited Away (2003).
Ball explained that he loves “the wonder and whimsy” Miyazaki brings to his animated projects.
More recently, in an interview with GamesRadar+ and the Inside Total Film podcast, Ball said of his upcoming film, “I can’t say anything. Nintendo would jump out and pull me aside. But we are very excited, it’s a dream come true for me. I grew up playing those games and been a part of those things for a long time,” adding, “I’ve known Mr. Miyamoto [Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of The Legend of Zelda] for many years now and I can’t wait. That’s all I can really say but I am very aware that people are as anxious as I am to see something on it. I just want to get to work on it, it’s a dream come true.”
But while no cast members have been confirmed, somehow, actor Paul Rudd seems to have become the new face of The Legend of Zelda franchise.
Related: 10 Nintendo Franchises To Follow Up ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’
Paul Rudd might just be one of the most lovable actors alive today (although, by the looks of it, he’ll probably be alive a whole century from now).
These days, Rudd, 55, is best known for starring in movies such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ant-Man series and Avengers: Endgame (2019), and the sequels Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).
Back in the ’90s, he appeared in films like Clueless (1995) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) and the iconic US television sitcom Friends (1994 — 2004), before starring in several comedy movies that solidified him as a household name: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Role Models (2008), and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), to name a few.
But it wasn’t until he was cast as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in the MCU that his popularity ventured beyond the confines of sitcoms and adult comedy flicks. Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Ghostbusters, Paul Rudd is no longer just “that guy from Clueless and Anchorman who doesn’t age” — he has become a legitimate international superstar.
And now, he’s suddenly associated with The Legend of Zelda.
Related: Rumored Nintendo Cinematic Universe Could Bring Zelda, Kirby, and More to Universal Parks
Before the star was falling head over heels in love with Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), beating Michael Myers (A. Michael Lerner/George P. Wilbur) to a bloody pulp, de-throning Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) as the most handsome man in Central Perk, and getting up to all sorts of antics with fellow newscaster Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), he was, well, playing the video game “The Legend of Zelda” in a really cheesy commercial in 1991.
On X (formerly Twitter), many users have taken the opportunity to remind the world that, long before his long stint of ’90s flicks, Paul Rudd was busy showcasing the then-new Super Nintendo games console system, playing “The Legend of Zelda” — among many other popular titles — to do so.
Owing thanks to the power of the Internet (which is like a mystical Hylian artifact in its own right), that commercial has not only resurfaced, but it’s also gone viral!
Watch it below, per Vintage Toy Mania:
Related: Nintendo Artist Reveals Major Connection Between ‘Zelda’ and ‘Jurassic Park’
The ad might not have aged pretty well, but Paul Rudd definitely has. Did he manage to uncover a mysterious artifact that grants one eternal youth while playing the game? Well, it turns out we’re not the only ones suspicious about his looks, as one X user wrote:
Fun Fact: This is actually how Paul Rudd gained his immortality. He was the first to discover the Super Power of the Super Nintendo. Beat a secret magic level in Zelda, BOOM! Ageless…
Fun Fact: This is actually how Paul Rudd gained his immortality. He was the first to discover the Super Power of the Super Nintendo. Beat a secret magic level in Zelda, BOOM! Ageless… https://t.co/rExrdHFKM9
— Robert Austin Barker (@iamvvonderboy) August 24, 2024
One user says that watching the star play The Legend of Zelda made their day:
Paul Rudd playing Legend of Zelda just made my day.
Paul Rudd playing Legend of Zelda just made my day. https://t.co/zuRG0Q13OW
— KB (@KerryCranberry) April 30, 2021
Another goes as far as fan-casting several actors into the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie, putting Rudd in the role of an older Link, with Tom Holland — whose name has already been thrown around for the film — to play the young Link:
[Edited for clarity and accuracy] My dream casting for The Legend of Zelda movie, and yes, this is real 🙂 Link: Paul Rudd, Ganondorf: Chris Hemsworth, Zelda: Mila Kunis, Young Link: Tom Holland, Saria: Gwyneth Paltrow, Navi: Ice Spice, Midna: Zendaya, Groose: Dwane Johnson, Impa: Cardi B, Rauru: Morgan Freeman
My dream casting for the legend of Zelda movie, and yes, this is real 🙂
Link: Paul Rudd
Ganondorf: Chris Hemsworth
Zelda: Mila Kunis
Young link: Tom Holland
Saria: Gwyneth Paltrow
Navi: Ice spice
Midna: Zendaya
Groose: Dwane Johnson
Impa: Cardi B
Rauru: Morgan Freeman— Transgender Bingo Fan12 (@Stephen45532051) November 8, 2023
There’s no release date for The Legend of Zelda movie.
Would you like to see Paul Rudd star in The Legend of Zelda movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!