Latest news with #LegendofZelda
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Trans Zelda? Hunter Schafer Casting Rumor Sparks Queer Joy Across the Internet
Call your Kokiri cousins and blow the Ocarina of Time, because the internet just exploded with Triforce-sized hype. In what may go down as one of the most deliciously nerdy casting rumors of the decade, Hunter Schafer the ethereal, otherworldly star of Euphoria, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series is reportedly being eyed to play Princess Zelda in the long-awaited Legend of Zelda live-action film. That's right. The rumored casting was dropped by industry insider Daniel Richtman, and while he's been a bit of a Gossip Stone in the past (some hits, some misses), this time? Fans are hoping it's the real deal. The rumor was first spotlighted by Screen Time, and now every enchanted bottle in the fandom is rattling with excitement. Within minutes of the rumor hitting social media, Twitter turned into Hyrule Town Square. The people did not just react. They transformed into sages of validation. 'She looks just like Zelda that's actually perfect,' one fan tweeted, probably while clutching their Master Sword in joy. 'I swear to God if they cast a man as princess Zelda I will riot,' another declared, invoking the wrath of Din herself. 'Literally the most perfect candidate but they won't want her to play Zelda,' lamented a prophet of fan-casting history. 'Please lord almighty I hate the idea of live action Zelda but she would actually save the movie,' one fan admitted with honesty we rarely see on the timeline. 'I do not care what a bunch of phobic assholes have to say, she literally looks like Zelda and would be perfect,' wrote another, defending their queen like a true member of the Sheikah tribe. 'The comments are making me so mad she literally is Zelda. Like she looks exactly like I'd imagine Zelda looking IRL,' someone else echoed, probably shouting it at the Moon. 'If Zelda is played by a trans woman, I will be so, so happy,' said another tweet that's now being embroidered on tunics across the fandom. Hunter Schafer as Zelda didn't spawn from a random Cucco attack. It's been building. Fans have been dreaming of this match-up since 2022, long before the live-action movie was confirmed. In fact, Schafer herself caught wind of the fan-casting and responded with the purest, nerdiest love. 'That would be so cool. I love the game, personally. I played it as a kid and I still play it now. Who knows! That would be pretty cool,' she said, giving the fandom the green light to completely lose their minds. In 2024, Schafer was featured in a Vogue photoshoot casually holding a Nintendo Switch like it was a royal artifact. Coincidence? The Zelda stans didn't think so. It became another breadcrumb in the Schafer-as-Zelda prophecy. Let's not forget. Nintendo officially confirmed the Legend of Zelda live-action movie in 2023 in collaboration with Sony Pictures. It is being produced by Avi Arad, the man behind the Spider-Man and Uncharted movies, and it is already facing massive pressure to get casting right. No official casting announcements have been made yet, but we know that the studio is reportedly seeking a younger actor for Link, with Walker Scobell (of The Adam Project and Percy Jackson) being the type they are circling like a Poe in a graveyard. Meanwhile, Tom Holland's name remains on everyone's lips for reasons that defy logic, gravity, and possibly good taste. But Schafer as Zelda? This is a casting that makes sense both narratively and visually. She's got the ethereal beauty, the royal poise, and the kind of quiet magical energy that makes you believe she could literally shatter a Moblin with one glance. Let's not kid ourselves. Hunter Schafer has range. She's already brought nuance and mysticism to roles in Euphoria and Hunger Games. And with the Blade Runner universe on her horizon, she's proving she can handle high-concept genre storytelling with ease. The idea of her playing Zelda, a character who has juggled princesshood, wisdom, combat, reincarnation, and secret Sheik alter-egos, is not just a perfect fit. It's a natural evolution of her career. Twitter, sorry, X, is currently glowing like the Sacred Realm with queer joy. The idea of Schafer, a trans woman, stepping into the royal boots of Zelda isn't just progressive. It feels right. It's in keeping with the androgynous beauty of the series itself. One fan posted what might be the truest words ever typed: 'Just like the games, Link is gonna look more feminine than Zelda. 10/10 casting.' Others echoed a clear truth. If Schafer doesn't get cast, the backlash will be real. 'NO WAY…I would love if she played Zelda but know how toxic this world is she won't be cast,' another wrote, touching on the bitter reality of trans representation in mainstream Hollywood. 'She's been my pick for Zelda for years. I really hope this is true and she gets to be casted!' declared one final fan, summing up the entire fandom's collective hope. The casting of Princess Zelda in live-action is not just a geeky decision. It's a cultural one. And with Schafer, Nintendo and Sony have the chance to not only please their loyal fans, but make history. She's not a token. She's not a 'statement.' She's just the most logical and most exciting choice for a character that has meant so much to generations of gamers, especially queer ones. Until the Master Sword drops and official casting is announced, we'll be here, in our Deku Tree-decorated bunkers, waiting, dreaming, refreshing timelines, and praying to Nayru. Because honestly? She is Zelda. The post A Trans Zelda? Hunter Schafer Casting Rumor Sparks Queer Joy Across the Internet appeared first on Where Is The Buzz | Breaking News, Entertainment, Exclusive Interviews & More.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘The Legend Of Zelda' Movie May Land A Perfectly Cast Princess, Per Report
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 20: Hunter Schafer attends the HBO Max FYC event for 'Euphoria' at ... More Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/WireImage) It remains to be seen where Wes Ball's upcoming Legend of Zelda movie is a good idea at baseline, but now a casting search appears to be spooling up for its major roles, including the titular princess. A new report from inside DanielRPK reveals that a specific actress is being eyed for the role, one that social media fans were theory-casting even before this news broke. That would be Euphoria's Hunter Schafer. As soon as the movie was announced, side-by-side comparisons started emerging about how perfectly she would fit into the role. Now, the film may have taken that to heart and may be pursuing the star. Schafer first rose to prominence in Euphoria, the controversial HBO teen drama that is finally filming its third season after a lengthy break, Schafer included. Since then, she's appeared in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness and the horror film Cuckoo. She's about to star in the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series and has 5-6 other projects on the way. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess It is not yet clear which game story is being adapted for The Legend of Zelda movie, one that many were surprised was going to be live-action at all, given what Nintendo did with the massively profitable Super Mario Bros. movie. It feels like a big risk, but much of this will come down to casting. It's easy to see Schaefer as a good Zelda, but the key role will be Link, a character who barely, if ever, speaks in the games, and it's going to be very interesting to see how that aspect is handled. Here's what Zelda superfan and the film's director Wes Ball said about the project to Totalfilm back in March of 2024: "I have this awesome idea," Ball said. "I've been thinking about it for a long freakin' time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be... I want to fulfill people's greatest desires. I know it's important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape." So, this seems to be pitched as high fantasy rather than the more cartoony versions of the game we've seen. And that makes a lot of sense for live-action. I hope we hear more about the film soon, and if it's confirmed that Schafer will play Zelda? That would be a great start. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Geek Feed
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Feed
The Legend of Zelda Movie Allegedly Eyeing Hunter Schaferor as Princess Zelda
It's been pitched before, but it looks like the studios could be taking it seriously this time. According to a rumor from @DanielRPK (via @screentime), Euphoria star Hunter Schafer is being eyed to play the role of Princess Zelda in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie directed by Wes Ball. So far, not other cast members have been rumored, but Schafer has been fancast for a while, seeing that she does fit the look of Princess Zelda very well, and it would be a huge move to have a central character in a major franchise played by a trans woman. Admittedly, Schafer has been public about not getting boxed into trans roles, and getting cast as Zelda may be the perfect part for her. We know she already looks the part, but we've yet to really watch her play someone like Zelda who is expected to exude poise and grace—then again, that depends on which kind of Zelda they're adapting. As expected, there are already a lot of transphobic comments coming out about Schafer landing the part, and hopefully Sony and Nintendo will be ready to protect Schafer should they move forward with the casting. As someone whose been a big fan of Schafer since Euphoria , I'm really up for the casting; and I hope she manages to land this role as well as the part of the next Mystique when Marvel Studios is ready to reboot X-Men . The Legend of Zelda movie is expected to hit theaters on March 26, 2027.
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
This is Miyamoto. And it's Nintendo's world
Miyamoto created the original Mario, Donkey Kong and Legend of Zelda games, the foundations of the 135-year-old Nintendo's rebirth as a video game company. Nintendo and 'Super Mario Bros' are often cited for rejuvenating the industry after the video game crash of 1983, when the nascent industry imploded after a flood of poor-quality products. His attention to quality control and play formed the nucleus of countless video game genres and lifted the industry out of recession and into one of the planet's dominant entertainment mediums. His imprint on the medium is immeasurable. In 1998, he was the first person inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. In France, he was honoured as a Knight of Arts and Letters. In Spain, he is the first video game creator honoured with the Princess of Asturias Award. In 2019, he was the first game creator to receive Japan's Person of Cultural Merit award. Now he is one of the few people to have theme parks built from his creations. Just as one could walk around the Jurassic Park world of Orlando and hear John Williams' iconic score, Super Nintendo World echoes with the indelible jazz pieces of Koji Kondo's Mario themes. Even the bathrooms play the water-level waltz of the classic games. 'I don't think in a million years when he was sketching out Donkey Kong and Mario … that he would've ever imagined they would be a centrepiece of a major international theme park,' said Roger DiLuigi, a 35-year-old content creator from Los Angeles with more than 550,000 subscribers on his Nintendo-focused RogersBase YouTube channel. The lifelong Nintendo fan was among hundreds of influencers and creators invited to cover and promote the Orlando Epic Universe launch. 'And yet here we are.' Today as an executive and representative director, Miyamoto's fingerprints are most evident in Nintendo's expansion to other mediums, including the Super Nintendo World theme parks, the billion-dollar box-office blockbuster Mario movie released in 2023 and the recently opened Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. Nintendo's origins in the US began with a lawsuit by Universal City Studios. In 1982, the media conglomerate sued Nintendo over Miyamoto's first hit game 'Donkey Kong,' claiming infringement on the King Kong property. Nintendo hired veteran Washington, DC-based civil rights attorney John Kirby and won the case. Nintendo would honour Kirby, who died in 2019, by naming a character after him as thanks for helping the company regain foothold in the US market. Nintendo and Universal Studios announced their plans to partner in creating theme parks in 2015, with the first park opening in Japan in 2021. Universal's Epic Universe in Orlando, including Super Nintendo World featuring the Mario brand, is the first in the US to include an expansion for Donkey Kong Country. 'The world really does work in mysterious ways,' Miyamoto exclaimed, laughing. 'It was really fun to be able to jokingly talk about what if we put Donkey Kong on the other side of King Kong in City Walk!' Nintendo's decision to fight the lawsuit was seen as a sign that the company, and video games as a medium, had arrived. Miyamoto keenly remembers when people would look down their noses at video games. 'When I first created Mario, it was a time where Mom or Dad might look at their kids playing a video game and be worried, concerned about what's going to happen,' he said. 'I was expecting there will come a time when even the parent will have experience playing video games. That was something I was hoping to see. Now I'm over 70 years old, and we're finally at a time where multigenerational families all have this common shared experience of having played video games. It's really great to see that come to realisation.' His dream is fully realised. Millennial parents teaching their children the history of characters like Princess Peach or the villainous Bowser are as plentiful as the power-up blocks and green warp pipes that populate the park. Children squeal in delight riding through the immersive Donkey Kong mine cart ride that includes fake jumps and scares, much like the game it's based on, 'Donkey Kong Country.' Little girls crowd around to talk to Princess Peach with her wide set of recorded responses. Robert Martinez Jr, the 43-year-old executive chef at the park's Toadstool Cafe restaurant, understands the generational love of Nintendo. He's a 25-year veteran of Universal Orlando, a job passed on from his chef father who worked at the park. 'It's surreal to see myself as a young kid with my Nintendo, blowing the cartridges as we all did back in the day, to being here. Nintendo as a brand touches so many generations,' Martinez said. 'It's something I can share with my kids today. In many cases, you probably know the IP way more than your kid.' Seeing those families enjoy the park is 'something that really brings me joy,' Miyamoto said. 'At the same time, it makes me feel a little old too.' Advertise with NZME. Miyamoto hasn't misplaced his youthful sense of play. During a photo shoot for The Post, Miyamoto struggled to offer a 'business' face when posing. He couldn't help but crack cherubic smiles as he posed with his fists up like Mario. That playfulness translates throughout the park, which Miyamoto helped design. Each visitor receives wristbands that keep score of activities and secrets discovered, including coins collected by punching blocks. 'I created this theme park with the hope that people will be able to experience Nintendo characters with their entire body,' he said. 'There was a time where I was thinking, 'I wish we could create an interactive experience where people can roll around and hang out.' ' Nintendo is a famously stubborn company. It started in the 19th century as a producer of playing cards and later as a toy company. Miyamoto's work transformed its focus to video games and consoles, a formula it has strictly followed until recent years. It is the only major platform holder that does not publish its games in competing platforms, unlike PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox, which now both publish games on Nintendo's Switch consoles. That strategy has helped keep Nintendo unusually profitable. So for years, Nintendo was precious with its intellectual property, keeping Mario and crew away from multimedia projects, outside of the first attempt at a Mario movie, which was a notorious box-office bomb. 'Our thinking was that we don't use characters in media other than games so we're not limited or restricted when we create the next game,' he said. That freedom encouraged creativity: depicting Mario flying with a raccoon tail in 'Super Mario 3', or in the following game, riding the dinosaur Yoshi. 'Over the decades, that thinking has changed inside of me, in that I've come to realize there are limits to the reach that these Nintendo characters can have when we are just focusing on games,' Miyamoto said. 'For example, there are countries where maybe there aren't games available. It really translated into being able to expand through different media.' Miyamoto said he guided Universal on creating a more interactive experience that's approachable and family friendly, while keeping the spirit of his games. The puzzle series Pikmin, which began in 2001, is one of the last properties Miyamoto helped create, and it remains among his most beloved. The plantlike Pikmin creatures are meant to be ethereal and spiritual, and it was Miyamoto's idea to place them all over the park as part of a hide-and-seek game. 'When you look at characters like Mario or Splatoon, I made it a point to make sure they only exist within the IPs they are a part of, but Pikmin have this unique quality in that they can be right next to you as we speak,' Miyamoto said. 'They can, at least in my mind, interact and mingle with any kind of IP. I thought the easiest and quickest way to really convey what Pikmin is was to just drop Pikmin in that world.' The magnitude of Nintendo and Universal's achievement only hit Miyamoto when he walked out of the warp pipe and saw the park envelop him. It's the real-world equivalent of hero Link stepping out into the world of Hyrule in the groundbreaking 2017 Nintendo Switch game 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'. 'I've been obviously looking at everything from the schematic and planning stage,' he said. 'When it comes to finally taking the blocks we so painstakingly created and stacking those up, recreating Mount Beanpole, adding the moving Piranha Plants or Goombas and having them all synchronised together … and then walking out of Peach Castle and looking ahead at the world, that was when I found myself thinking, 'Wow.'' Despite Nintendo's expansion into other mediums, Miyamoto said it's important for the firm's employees to remember that they are entertainers. It's why he helped open the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, not just as a visitor attraction but as a document to inspire employees. 'I wanted to make sure it's clear Nintendo isn't trying to compete with competitors as a game company, but as an entertainment company, looking for new technologies, to expand and create new experiences,' he said. Miyamoto said when it comes to his legacy, he's not sure if 'satisfaction' is exactly the right word for it. His first real dream was to become a manga artist and storyteller. 'Through manga, I wanted to create a unique world. Obviously I didn't become a manga artist,' he said. 'But I really can't help but feel very fortunate that through my involvement with creating games, I've been able to expand that process to something like the theme park you see today.'
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Will this season's NBA champion be the healthiest (and last) team standing?
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. Luke Kornet had 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots off the bench for the Celtics last night in Boston's win. At one point, my friend Ian threw 'The Charlotte Kornets' into the group chat and demanded I put that in The Bounce. I'm a great friend. Go watch his one-hour special. Should finals predictions be based on health? Unfortunately, health becomes a major talking point of any NBA postseason. We're not even through the second round of these playoffs, and we've lost Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum to Achilles tears, seen the Cavaliers miss key starters for games before their elimination and lamented Steph Curry's hamstring making us watch too many Brandin Podziemski jump shots. That's the playoffs, though. Sometimes, it's just about which team can maintain the most health to get to the finish line. Advertisement Of the teams we have left, can we devise a health meter to figure out which is headed toward being the healthiest of them all? And with that info, discern which teams might find themselves with the best chance to win the championship? First, we need to figure out how to make that health meter. The thing I think of when I hear 'health meter' is a video game. A lot of video games either have a bar of health or an increasing/decreasing number of hearts. Let's go with hearts for ours because the bar thing is just going to be annoying to try to figure out. We'll set the heart counter at 10 of these ♥️s, kind of like a 'Legend of Zelda' health bar, for the collective team. We have the Celtics, Knicks, Pacers, Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder left in this postseason. Let's figure out which teams are the healthiest, and if that does anything for their future title chances: Eastern Conference Celtics | Down 3-2 in the second round The devastating news about Tatum's injury definitely hurts them right now and next season. Holiday missed games with the hamstring strain in the first round, and it hasn't affected him too much in this series. Porziņģis continues to struggle with breathing, and this illness that won't go away. Needless to say, the Celtics won't have their best player the rest of the way, and that lowers their health meter significantly. Knicks | Up 3-2 in the second round In a shocking turn of events, Tom Thibodeau's Knicks are extremely healthy, aside from Brunson continuing to deal with a sore ankle from when he turned it against Detroit. He keeps tweaking it here and there, but that's pretty much it. Josh Hart just got his eyebrow split open, but we're not counting that. Pacers | In the conference finals No offense to Isaiah Jackson, who is out for the year — but he's been out since early November. The Pacers have managed to replace their backup big man enough to make up for it in that time. Mathurin and Sheppard both missed early enough in the first round that this team feels very healthy in its pursuit of the NBA Finals. Advertisement Overall, it looks like we're getting the Knicks and the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals if the Knicks can win one of their next two games against Boston. That makes sense with them being the two healthiest teams. As New York fans remember, the Knicks will need to stay healthy if they want to take down an even better Pacers team this time. Western Conference Nuggets | Down 3-2 in the second round There is still reason to be concerned about Murray's legs at all times, and Porter seems incapable of being reliable with his injured shoulder right now. He's gutting it out by playing, but you never know if he'll actually be able to contribute. At least they have Nikola Jokić. Thunder | Up 3-2 in the second round The 68-win Thunder have been completely healthy for a while. They've had bumps and bruises, but nobody is missing games. Even Chet Holmgren has stayed healthy. This team looks in top form at the right time. Timberwolves | In the conference finals The Wolves are almost completely healthy, except Edwards still doesn't seem completely fine from the ankle injury from the Lakers series he's tweaked a couple times. We're still not seeing the consistent explosiveness and finishing around the rim from him yet. But he has some time to rest now. Overall, the Wolves have time to be completely healthy before they try to make their first NBA Finals. And they'll either face a mildly banged-up Denver team with little depth and nagging injuries to two key players but not the kaiju in the middle everybody fears, or they'll face a deep, pristinely healthy Thunder squad ready to go. It looks like health is mostly shining in both conferences right now. Just check the meters! Cooper Flagg couldn't believe the lottery either 😱 Lottery reaction. What was Cooper Flagg's reaction to the Mavs getting No. 1? About like yours. 🏀 Now what? The Cavaliers had another early postseason exit. Where do they go from here? 🏀 Born in it. Nuggets coach David Adelman grew up around a pretty important NBA influence: His Hall of Fame coach dad, Rick Adelman. 🏀 New opportunities. Tatum's injury for Boston has a big impact. The East is now wide open. 🎧 Tuning in. Today's 'NBA Daily' examines Jimmy Butler's impact for the Warriors as they face the offseason. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. Celtics must migrate 3-point shooting to MSG Even without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are still a dangerous team — especially at home. They had their backs against the wall heading into Game 5, needing a victory to keep their title defense alive. And while everybody outside of Massachusetts or the Celtics fan base is engraving the tombstone for their season, Boston still thinks it can win this series. We saw that confidence last night with a monster second-half performance to fuel the 127-102 victory. Advertisement Boston used a 32-17 third quarter to grab control of the game and then a 36-26 fourth quarter to make sure the Knicks weren't feeling frisky with some kind of comeback. The stars of that third-quarter dominance? Yep, you guessed it. Frank Stallone Derrick White and Luke Kornet. After a 19-point first half, White dropped 13 points in the third quarter, with seven of them coming at the free-throw line. The Celtics got the Knicks into foul trouble early and shot 18 free throws in that quarter alone. As for Kornet, he looked like Hakeem Olajuwon out there. No, I mean he literally looked like Olajuwon. And Dwight Howard. And Serge Ibaka and JaVale McGee. Kornet joined those four players as the only guys since 1997 to have five or more rebounds and five or more blocks in a playoff quarter. He started for Kristaps Porziņģis in the quarter and dominated the entire period. The Celtics hit 22-of-49 from 3-point range in the game. It was reminiscent of their Game 3 win at Madison Square Garden when they made 20-of-40 from deep. In the regular season, they shot 19-of-39 from deep and 19-of-49 from downtown in their two wins in New York. They're going to have to mimic all of that shooting in order to force a Game 7, and, even then, they have to hope the Knicks don't bring it like they did in Game 4. Maybe putting that pressure on New York can get them to second-guess themselves and begin to crumble, but this also feels like a different Knicks team than what we're used to. Minnesota sends Warriors to summer We live in a world where the Timberwolves have now advanced to back-to-back Western Conference finals. We also live in a world where Julius Randle has completely turned his career and reputation around in the last two months by playing the best basketball we've ever seen from him — even better than the two times he made All-NBA. And we live in a world where the Warriors didn't get a chance to see if their trade-deadline acquisition of Jimmy Butler could actually matter enough in the postseason to get Steph Curry and Draymond Green a fifth ring. This was supposed to be a great series. Instead, Curry's hamstring strained in the first half of Game 1, and we only saw him in street clothes on the sidelines the rest of the way. It may not have mattered anyway. This Wolves team is no joke, and they're good enough to win a championship. But without Curry on the court, it became destined that the Wolves would clinch their golden era of existence. Granted, that's a low bar to clear, but they kicked that door off the hinges like Charlie Murphy kicked Rick James. Minnesota won, 121-110, despite turning the ball over 20 times, because they dominated every other facet of the game. That's what they should do against an overmatched, wounded team. But that also won't be good enough to advance to where this team has never been before, no matter whom they face in the next round. They have to clean things up. Advertisement As for the Warriors, they enter the summer hoping to add outside shooting to space the floor, maybe a big body, and figuring out what Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency and status with the team should be. They ask Father Time to show mercy for just one year, and see if Butler can see a healthy Curry in the next postseason. 📬 Love The Bounce? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
