The Legend of Zelda Live-Action Film: Majora’s Mask Art Director Urges Silence for Link

Nintendo and Sony have kicked production of The Legend of Zelda movie into gear, with Wes Ball at the helm. Ball, known for directing the Maze Runner trilogy and the recent Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is stepping into a sprawling big-screen adaptation that promises to bring a grand adventure to life.

Filming has moved to New Zealand, and the project is currently scheduled for a May 2027 release after a delay that pushed it from an original March date. If all goes to plan, fans will finally see Link and Zelda on the big screen a little over a year from now.

Takaya Imamura, the art director on 2000’s Majora’s Mask, has his own take on how the live-action version should handle Link’s personality. Imamura has suggested that if Link starts speaking, it could erode the “Zelda magic” fans have cherished for decades.

Here’s Imamura’s take in his own words: while the movie will include dialogue, he worries Link’s voice might undermine the taciturn aura that defines the character in the games. He even hinted that Link could remain mostly mute, a nod to the classic game design that lets players project their own feelings onto the hero.

In the film, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth—best known for The Haunting of Bly Manor and Pinocchio—will portray Link, with Bo Bragason as Zelda. Before production images surfaced online, director Wes Ball teased the dialogue question in a lighthearted exchange with Comic Book, joking about the film adopting the gameplay mechanic of pop-up dialogue boxes.

He quipped that if the movie follows the game, audiences might see tiny dialogue boxes suggesting what Link would say, even if his real voice isn’t heard. Ball’s playful answer echoed Imamura’s concerns about preserving the silent, player-driven feel that has defined Link across the franchise.

Beyond Link’s muteness, backstory details from the broader Zelda canon continue to influence expectations. Some fan lore—like a 2024 diary entry in Echoes of Wisdom that hints Link lost his ability to speak after a Rift incident in his childhood—adds another layer to how creators might approach the character, even if it isn’t a direct adaptation for every game.

For now, fans will have to wait and see how the live-action adaptation balances dialogue, spectacle, and the enduring mystery of Link’s quiet strength. In the meantime, you can keep up with our list of most anticipated films for 2027 as the Zelda project digs deeper into production.