The Lands Between have finally come to the big screen. With an indie film distributor worthy of occasions such as Everything Everywhere All At Once or Hereditary, Elden Ring is now an officially adapted live-action medium. Stranger still, the screenplay and direction will be undertaken by Alex Garland, the man responsible for Ex Machina and Annihilation. Yes, really.
The hype was anything but unanimous. The tweet announcing the project went viral, but the replies were a mixture of chaos, excitement, skepticism, and outright disbelief. Some say Garland fits perfectly into the secretive, lore-heavy world of Elden Ring. Others are probably dusting off their pitchforks.
Why A24, and Why Now?
A24 isn’t really a name that brings to mind a big blockbuster adaptation—they certainly appreciate weird, arty, thoughtful cinema. So I suppose picking up Elden Ring, half the narrative of which is tucked away in item descriptions and NPC lines, feels pretty… risky. But maybe it’s genius? Whoever manages to lay the ambience of engulfing silence on celluloid is the same man who can do it for this game-almost certainly Garland, whose oeuvre is soaked in existential dread and visual narration and is exactly what Elden Ring oozes out.
Meanwhile, a few apprehensions have sprung up among the fans. @DeAdSHot_ZA tweeted: “If they just spell things out for the audience, it will lose the charm and mystery of the world.” Maybe there’s some truth in that here. Much of the charm of Elden Ring is in what it hardly ever spells out. Does that mean the film is going to kill that?
The Snarkers Are Loud (And So Funny)
Oh, for those who can’t fathom it being done correctly. Some comments were outright hilarious—a guy going by @Bliz22 giggling: “Cool, now I can not understand the storyline in movie form as well.” Then there was @sakamuie telling Hollywood to “leave video games and anime alone.” Fair enough.
And then there is the comment that hits perhaps coldest: “An Elden Ring movie, but no Bloodborne remaster. Feel bad for the community.” Cruel but true. FromSoftware fans have been desperately begging for a Bloodborne PC port/remaster for years; now they’re getting… an adaptation of a movie for another game. Priorities!
The Optimists (Yes, They Do Exist!)
Not everyone is doomposting. @JustLycis_ saluted Garland’s filmography and declared Annihilation and The Green Knight masterpieces. They do have a point—the style Garland could be an actual good fit for Elden Ring’s tone. If the movie leans more toward surreal images and less toward explanation, a small amount of hope would remain.
But we need to be real. Video game adaptations are quite a hit or miss. For every The Last of Us, there’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. And Elden Ring is far from simple narrative. It’s a sprawling, cryptic epic where players piece together lore from environmental clues. Good luck, Garland, turning that into a coherent two-hour film.
Here’s the Big Question: Who’s Playing Tarnished?
No rumors yet, presently it’s just a joke from the fans. @Ees7925 suggested Jack Black for the Tarnished, and… honestly? I am watching that. Jack Black rolling away from Malenia while screaming? Iconic.
The only information so far is: A24 and Garland are attached; no release window, no casting news, nada. But one thing is certain: that announcement got everyone talking. Whether it’s a good thing? We’ll find out… eventually.
So, questions remain: Will this be an awful mess, or will it be a fine piece of art? Time will cure, and maybe a few cryptic trailers… But hey, at least it’s not another Sonic movie.
