FromSoftware's Elden Ring stands as a monumental achievement in gaming, a critical and commercial titan that has sold millions of copies and captivated a global audience with its vast, decaying world. Yet, its very design makes it a nightmare for cinematic adaptation. The game's story is a deliberately fragmented mosaic, told through cryptic item descriptions, scattered environmental clues, and the often contradictory accounts of the few remaining inhabitants of the Lands Between. Because of that, a player's journey is entirely their own, a non-linear path of discovery that is impossible to replicate in a two-hour film. That means any attempt at a one-to-one film retelling of Elden Ring would betray the source material's core strength, which is its profound trust in the player to piece together a shattered history.
Despite these immense challenges, an Elden Ring movie is officially in development from A24, with the audacious filmmaker Alex Garland set to write and direct, a pairing that already signals a departure from the typical blockbuster adaptation. Garland's filmography is defined by heady, atmospheric, and often polarizing works that embrace ambiguity and visual storytelling. For instance, he successfully translated the seemingly unfilmable novel Annihilation into a haunting piece of sci-fi horror and has consistently explored complex philosophical concepts in projects like Ex Machina and Devs.
Most importantly, Garland is a genuine, self-professed superfan of Elden Ring and FromSoftware's entire catalog, demonstrating a deep understanding of their unique narrative ethos. He has spoken about his multiple playthroughs and his appreciation for the studio's demanding design, years before the movie was even announced. So, this combination of artistic sensibility and personal passion already makes him uniquely qualified for the task. However, the recently revealed story of how the Elden Ring movie came into existence almost assures that we'll be getting a great movie adaptation.
As revealed by The New Yorker, Garland first pitched the very idea of an adaptation to A24's head of film, Noah Sacco, to gauge the studio's interest. After receiving an enthusiastic confirmation that A24 would be willing to back his idea, Garland wrote an entire 160-page script on spec, supplementing it with an additional 40 pages of detailed visual references to fully articulate his concept. This was a massive creative undertaking done purely out of passion, without any formal deal in place.
Armed with this fully realized blueprint, Garland and Sacco then traveled to Japan to present the project directly to Hidetaka Miyazaki, the revered creator of Elden Ring and the president of FromSoftware. This meeting was a direct presentation of a finished script, a tangible demonstration of Garland's interpretation and artistic intent. Only after Miyazaki reviewed the script and gave his personal approval did the film get the official green light to move forward.
This sequence of events is incredibly significant for several reasons. It shows that Garland's involvement stems from a deep-seated creative drive to tell this specific story, rather than a simple paycheck. Furthermore, the fact that the script was written before FromSoftware was formally onboard, and then approved by Miyazaki himself, is the strongest possible endorsement. It means the game's original creator has seen Garland's vision for the film and believes it is a worthy extension of his world. Miyazaki is famously protective of his creations, and his blessing on a completed script suggests that Garland has successfully captured the elusive tone and thematic depth of Elden Ring. In other words, Elden Ring's fans can be confident in the quality of the movie adaptation, even if we still don't know how Garland will achieve such a monumental task.
What element of the Lands Between are you most excited to see realized through Alex Garland's vision?