Legend Of Zelda Fans Rally Behind Perfect Live-Action Tingle Casting

2 hours ago 10

Published Apr 19, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there.

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As a recurring character in The Legend of Zelda franchise, Tingles, who first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, has become a beloved face of the Nintendo series, so it is no wonder that fans are eager to see which actor will take on the role in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda live-action movie.

Appearing in several installments, including The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Tingles was created by Takaya Imamura, who planned for him to have a creepy appearance. After all, he is a 35-year-old man who dresses up in a green costume and has an obsession with the "forest fairies". As such, although game designer Mari Shirakawa was first uneasy about Tingle's design, she soon grew to find him "adorable", referring to the idea of "hate slowly turning to love." So who could capture this essence in a live-action adaptation?

Ken Jeong As Tingle Is Genuinely Inspired

Tingle celebrates with rupees surrounding him in Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

The upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie is set to hit cinemas on 7 May 2027, meaning that we have just over a year to wait until we see if director Wes Ball, who is best known for the Maze Runner trilogy and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is able to capture the magic that Nintendo has created over the years. At the time of writing, we only know two of the cast members: Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will take on the role of Link, whilst Bo Bragason will play Princess Zelda.

Whilst we do not yet know which other characters will be making an appearance, many fans are hoping that Tingles will be one of them and a recent discussion over on r/ZeldaMemes debated who should take on the coveted role. "Who should play Tingle in the live-action Zelda movie?" One user asked, alongside some images of famous actors including Jack Black, Ken Jeong, and... Danny DeVito in a wig?

If I had to pick one of these, I would definitely choose Jeong, who brings impressive humor to every role he plays. However, fans soon took to the comments to share their thoughts.

"Ken Jeong without question," the top comment read, with over 40 upvotes. "Tingles is 35, after all," another user added. "If I'm not mistaken. But I think Ken Jeong would be my choice." With other suggestions being Bobby Lee, Steve Buscemi, Jeff Goldblum, and more, it seems as though everybody has their ideal fancast when it comes to the beloved Tingles.

The Zelda Movie Probably Won't Feature Tingle, Sadly

Close up of Zelda's face in Legend of Zelda live-action movie

Although the live-action Zelda movie is not based on any one game in particular, it is instead expected to introduce an original story, which could mean that we will see a variety of brand-new characters, or at least loose interpretations of the characters we know and love. As such, characters such as Tingles may not make an appearance at all. However, if he does, it seems as though many famous actors will be in line for the role if fans had it their way. For now, we can expect The Legend of Zelda to hit cinemas in just over a year. Let us hope that it lives up to expectations formed by fans over the past 40 years.