The Legend of Zelda Movie’s Ganondorf Actor Revealed, And No One Could Have Predicted How Perfect It Is

The Legend of Zelda live-action movie stunned the world when it revealed its first look at Link and Princess Zelda, who will be played by actors Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason (respectively). But who is playing Ganon (aka “Ganondorf”), the iconic sorcerer and evil incarnate, who has been terrorizing the Kingdom of Hyrule since the first Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the 1980s? Ganon’s casting is key to making a Legend of Zelda movie work, and now we know the actor who has landed the role.

According to an insider scoop, Australian actor Uli Latukefu has been cast as Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda. He is best known for portraying the young version of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the superstar’s biographical sitcom series, Young Rock.

Writer and author Kyle Buchanan was the one who dropped the scoop about Latukefu taking on the role of Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda, and that was the only information he had to share.

Still, there is a certain amount of cosmic irony here: Uli Latukefu has gotten his biggest break from portraying the younger version of someone who would become much more famous later on; Ganondorf is, similarly, a younger incarnation of what will one day become the Demon King and spiritual corruptor known as “Ganon.”

Ganondorf’s Origin & History Explained

In Legend of Zelda lore, “Ganon,” the demon lord, began as “Ganondorf Dragmire,” the only male of his generation born into the culture of warriors and thieves in the desert kingdom of Gerudo. As the only male, he was ordained as king; Ganondorf proved to be a ruthless leader who betrays the King of Hyrule and tries to conquer the kingdom using a mythical power known as the Triforce.

The story of most Zelda games revolves around Ganon trying to obtain all three parts of the Triforce; after seizing one portion, the Triforce of Power. The other two Triforce portions, Courage and Wisdom, are held by Link and Zelda (respectively), which creates the major conflict between the three characters.

The Legend of Zelda movie is being directed by Wes Ball, who is best known for The Maze Runner film series, as well as the recent franchise soft-reboot, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Ball will direct from a script by his Maze Runner collaborator T.S. Nowlin, who also wrote Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds’ sci-fi/coming-of-age film, The Adam Project.

There are still a lot of questions about which Zelda games Nowlin is pulling from for his adaptation. The most recent Nintendo Switch installments (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) did an entire retcon origin story about the history of Hyrule, Ganondorf’s origin story, and the source of the Triforce and other powers of light that are used to combat Ganondorf and his monster army across generations. So we wouldn’t be surprised if that lore is utilized for this movie, including a properly dynamic arc for Uli Latukefu’s Ganondorf.

The Legend of Zelda is currently in production and has a release date of April 30, 2027.