Link speaking in Nintendo’s upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie risks the series’ “magic,” a former Nintendo developer has said.
Writing on X/Twitter, Zelda: Majora’s Mask art director Takaya Imamura shared his concerns around finally hearing Link talk — something he believes could ruin something special about Nintendo’s veteran series.
While Nintendo has not yet confirmed that Link will definitely speak in next year’s blockbuster film, it’s something that many fans feel is inevitable as the franchise shifts to the big screen. To date, of course, Link has been a famously silent protagonist — but it seems impossible that Nintendo will keep this up in a movie.
“The moment Link speaks, I can’t help but worry a little that the ‘Zelda magic’ everyone has been nurturing in their hearts might just vanish into thin air,” Imamura wrote, in remarks translated from Japanese.
Responding to a fan who pointed out that Link has always canonically been able to speak (and sometimes does off-screen), Imamura agreed it would be more likely that Link would speak sparingly. “In the movie, they’ll obviously talk,” he continued, “but it seems like it’ll be a taciturn character, huh.”
Imamura, left Nintendo in 2021, after serving 32 years at the company. His tenure began back in the 1989, where he quickly found fame designing the characters seen in early NES hits like F-Zero and Star Fox — including Fox McCloud himself, as well as Captain Falcon.
The years since saw Imamura continue to supervise the development of subsequent F-Zero and Star Fox games, while directing Nintendo’s lesser known submarine sim series Steel Diver. After a period without a major hit, Imamura, now 59, officially retired from the company and has since entered teaching, while working on a new manga project.
Filming for The Legend of Zelda is currently still ongoing in New Zealand, where fans have been trying to keep an eye on where the production is shooting. Late last year, unofficial videos shared on social media featured a glimpse of Zelda actress Bo Bragason and Link actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth in the midst of a forest scene. Following that first set leak, fans believe Severance star Dichen Lachman has been cast as Zelda’s trusty aide Impa, though Nintendo has yet to confirm this.
Officially announced in November 2023, Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda project is being produced by the company’s legendary Shigeru Miyamoto (previously Imamura’s boss), alongside Avi Arad, former CEO of Marvel Studios. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Wes Ball is directing, from a screenplay by Jurassic World writer Derek Connolly.
The Legend of Zelda is currently set to arrive in theaters on May 7, 2027, and fans expect to see much more of it later this year when Nintendo gets around to marking the Zelda franchise’s 40th anniversary. Following a recent leak, Nintendo is also believed to be developing a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
