If you could pick any director for an Elden Ring movie, who jumps to mind first? Probably someone like Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro, right? I mean, those guys know their way around fantasy like nobody’s business. You might even think of Miguel Sapochnik from Game of Thrones fame — the battle guy, remember him? Or maybe you’re in the mood for something offbeat and would consider Robert Eggers, Yorgos Lanthimos, or Bong Joon Ho. Each has that knack for the surreal and the bizarre, just like the game developer FromSoftware.
But, hey, surprise twist: Alex Garland. Yeah, the guy famous for Ex Machina and Annihilation. A24 has chosen him for the Elden Ring movie, believe it or not. Does not sound like an obvious pick, right? He’s got sci-fi chops, but hardcore fantasy? Well, that’s shaky territory, especially when you’re basing it on a game that’s all about indirect storytelling — item descriptions and vibes, really. So, how’s he going to pull this off? Honestly, I’m curious.
Look, Garland’s never done fantasy, but then again, who’s to say he can’t? Reinvention’s sort of his thing. He swung from sci-fi to intense stuff like warfare movies — talk about a pivot! Maybe he’ll flip the script again here.
Fun fact: Garland’s big into gaming. He’s got a weird connection to Resident Evil, which partly inspired his script for 28 Days Later. The Beach even had a game-like vibe in one scene. People don’t know this, but it’s true. Oh, and Garland’s got this thing about The Last of Us and especially Dark Souls — talks about it like it’s poetry. No fake fan vibes here.
Thinking about Elden Ring, maybe he leans into that psychological trip like in Annihilation. Those visuals, man. But then, imagine an adaptation like Warfare! Seal teams in Iraq, sure, but swap that setting for Limgrave ruins or Caelid’s hellscape. Because Elden Ring is less about grand stories and more about just trying to stay alive in a tough world full of danger — every player’s journey to that next flickering checkpoint without losing their minds.
There’s chatter about casting Kit Connor from Warfare for the lead. Maybe they’ll go for that suspenseful edge, the gut-punch of fear, and oh, that sweet agony of struggle. Garland could totally use his film savviness — that deep dive into the psyche during epic, chaotic action scenes — to mirror the game’s essence.
Elden Ring isn’t about heroes mowing down monsters with style. It’s messy, brutally honest, and all about scraping by. That bittersweet feeling when you finally break through — that’s the gold Garland should mine. And if Warfare is any clue, this movie could just nail it. Here’s hoping we get to see this brilliance translate onto the big screen soon.
