Legend of Zelda movie leak reveals Severance star and it’s obvious who she’s playing

Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey in Severance and Link and Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda live-action movie is taking shape, with a new set leak appearing to show Severance star Dichen Lachman has joined the cast – and it’s obvious which character from the games she’s playing. 

As one of Nintendo’s longest-running and most popular video game franchises, The Legend of Zelda movie is in good hands. Maze Runner filmmaker Wes Ball is attached to direct, and as he previously told Dexerto, “It’s going to be made by a fan for fans.” 

We now know the film will release on March 26, 2027, and in July 2025 (after months of speculation), we finally found out who’s taking on the role of Zelda and Link: Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, respectively. 

While further details are being kept under wraps, a new video leaked from the set appears to confirm a new cast member: Dichen Lachman.

Legend of Zelda movie set leak hints at a major character reveal 

The footage was shared by content creator Tony Olsen, showing production taking place in New Zealand. Speaking with Bragason’s Zelda is what looks like Lachman as none other than Impa. 

Although Nintendo and Sony haven’t confirmed her involvement, the resemblance in the footage is striking. Lachman famously plays the enigmatic Ms. Casey to perfection, and would make a welcome addition to the Legend of Zelda cast.

What fuels the Impa theories is her on-set appearance, which shows her with long gray hair woven into braids, a long-sleeve tunic, a wide leather belt, and even a naginata-style blade. 

The costume lines up almost perfectly with several of Impa’s depictions across the franchise, particularly the Hyrule Warriors and Age Of Calamity iterations, where she serves as a powerful fighter and guardian to Zelda. 

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Again, this would make sense given the footage shows her with Zelda. Fans certainly seem to think so, with one writing, “That’s 100% Impa right?”

“Impa omg,” said another. A third asked, “Hey, do you think the woman with gray hair near the horse could be Impa?” To which a fourth replied, “I don’t know but the actress I believe is Dichan Lachman.”

Another chimed in, “Yes, really she is. And she fits well with Impa.”

Over on Reddit, the chat is much the same. “I wonder if the older woman is their version of Impa,” said one, to which another wrote, “Most likely, as she has white hair. Much like how Impa usually does.”

“The other actress looks like Dichen Lachman,” added a third, while a fourth commented, “Definitely is. I feel like that’s a pretty big casting leak, doesn’t seem like it’s been announced anywhere.”

A fifth stated, “She’s a great choice to portray Impa. Curious enough, she had a small role in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (also directed by Wes Ball). 

Impa in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

“Directors sometimes like to work with actors they have previously worked with. I’m speculating here but Kevin Durand would be an excellent Ganon. As would Aiden Gillen. I guess we shall see.”

Other footage shows Ainsworth’s Link wearing a green tunic, suggesting for the lead characters, their looks are inspired by Breath of the Wild. 

But since nothing has been officially confirmed and the costumes are borrowing from several games, we’ll have to wait and see how these influences come together for the live-action Zelda movie. 

“Looks like the costumes are gonna be BOTW inspired then,” wrote one, pointing to both Zelda’s blue tunic and Link’s green one. 

Another speculated, “She’s absolutely going to wear a more formal princess dress at some point, but it makes sense for her to wear something else on the road. Plus considering Impa is in this scene, I’m guessing she might be on the run and the outfit is intentionally more covert.”

Of course, all we can do is speculate at this stage. While we wait for new details, read about why Nintendo was right to push back the Zelda movie release date and the character reveals in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer.