Sam Neill Filmed A Top Secret Legend Of Zelda Movie Role Before He Died

So far, it's seemed like the live-action "Legend of Zelda" movie was focusing on relative newcomers in its casting. That ends now, as Deadline is reporting that the film, itself directed by Wes Ball ("The Maze Runner," "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"), will also include one of the last appearances by the late Sam Neill following his passing earlier this summer.

It's currently unknown what role Neill played before his passing, but he is joined by Uli Latukefu in the role of Ganondorf, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link, and Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda. Deadline also reports that "Severance" star Dichen Lachman and "The Handmaid's Tale" star Yvonne Strahovski will likewise appear in the film. Sources tell Deadline that Lachman is playing Impa — a member of the shadowy Sheikah tribe that guards Hyrule's royal family and a character who's been everything from Zelda's nanny to the Kakariko Village chief depending on the "Legend of Zelda" video game. Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Strahovski is set to play a queen character, which is likely to be the Queen of Hyrule, i.e. Zelda's mother.

As for Neill, the sky is the limit. It's unlikely that he'll play a very prominent role, as that might break immersion if Ball is going for lesser known actors in the bigger roles. Hence, he may play Zelda's father, the King of Hyrule, or possibly a smaller role more focused on his voice than his face. If that is the case, I propose two alternatives: Neill will either be the Great Deku Tree, the giant living tree that guards the forest the Koroks live in, or the voice of the old man in every "Legend of Zelda" game that kicks off the adventure — the "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!" guy.

Sure, it makes perfect sense for Columbia Pictures and Sony to want Sam Neill to show his very recognizable face in their "Legend of Zelda" movie to add some mass market appeal to it. That being said, Neill was great at playing weird little characters in weird little movies. He could just as easily be the lead in a blockbuster movie as he could play the Antichrist in a horror movie or a strange and grumpy uncle in a heartwarming and quirky New Zealand comedy.

That's why Neill can't just play Zelda's regal father. Even when he technically played Odin in "Thor: Ragnarok," he portrayed a silly, fake version of the character, not at all the serious and prestigious one brought to life by Anthony Hopkins. Instead, the perfect part for Neill is that of The Great Deku Tree. After all, it's a bizarre, giant tree that talks and is surrounded by the somehow even stranger Koroks — forest creatures with leaves for faces. The Korok also have a proclivity to get stuck in the weirdest places possible.

It's really the perfect role for a man that cared about the environment and about animals as much as Neill did. He was a conservationist, openly opposed mining operations in New Zealand, and would constantly post pictures of himself with his farm animals on social media. What better way to send him off than hearing Neill voice a great tree that protects a fantasy forest?

"The Legend of Zelda" opens in theaters on April 30, 2027.