Writer-director Alex Garland (Civil War) has been tapped to helm a live-action adaptation of Bandai Namco’s popular Elden Ring video game for A24.
Developed by FromSoftware (Dark Souls), Elden Ring is a 2022 fantasy open-world action-RPG that has sold over 30 million copies and won numerous “Game of the Year” awards. Notably, it features world-building from famed A Song of Ice and Fire novelist George R. R. Martin.
Garland, meanwhile, is a prolific creative in his own right. In addition to writing acclaimed films like 28 Days Later, Dredd and Sunshine, he’s also written and directed successful titles like Ex Machina, Annihilation and this year’s Warfare.
That said, it will be interesting to see what this will look like. A24 is generally known for lower-budget indie darlings like Moonlight, Lady Bird, Hereditary and Everything Everywhere All At Once. To date, the company’s most expensive released film is Garland’s Civil War, which cost US$50 million (about C$69 million) to produce. However, Josh Safdie’s upcoming Timothée Chalamet-led A24 ping pong film Marty Supreme reportedly costs US$90 million (about C$124 million).
Even so, it seems like a movie based on Elden Ring‘s dark fantasy world, which is filled with all sorts of dazzling spells and grotesque monsters, would cost well above what A24 usually spends. Elden Ring is also first and foremost about challenging combat encounters, as well, so it will be interesting to see how that translates, if at all, to the big screen.
In any case, fans should rest a bit easier knowing that Garland is actually a noted gamer. For one, he co-wrote 2010’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and is credited as the story supervisor on 2013’s DMC: Devil May Cry (although he refutes this). On top of that, he recently had a conversation with The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann on how much he loves The Last of Us, as well as some other games.
A24 is also no stranger to games, as it’s currently working with legendary creator Hideo Kojima on an adaptation of his Death Stranding series. Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One filmmaker Michael Sarnoski is directing the film, which is set to hit theatres in 2027.
Image credit: Bandai Namco
Via: Deadline
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
