It's finally happening: Nintendo has announced a Zelda movie, and soon we might be faced with a Hyrulian hero who actually speaks. Sure, we know that Link can talk – how else would he be able to explain the wild goings-on in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom to the citizens of Hyrule? – but for the most part, the Zelda games have always been led by a "silent" protagonist.
Link's laconic tendencies have been a staple of his character since the franchise began in the 80s. The more recent, RPG-style entries like Zelda Breath of the Wild allow us to hear his wall-climbing grunts and startled gasps, but having a largely silent hero is helpful to roleplay as Link without getting sidetracked by vocal attributes. Imagining him with spoken dialogue in a live-action film is disarming to say the least, but it's something I'm mentally preparing myself for. What's more, it might even help push its source material into unknown territory that Nintendo might have shied away from otherwise.
