Once the realm of hammy B movies, video game adaptations have come a long way since the 1990s. (Ask Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo…)
That’s not to say all recent game movies have hit the mark, but the success of big-screen adaptations like Mario, Gran Turismo, and Detective Pikachu have raised the bar.
Now, fans of big-screen fantasy may have a new reason to get excited.
Japanese studio FromSoftware has crafted some of the last decade's most cinematic and atmospheric games, hinting at broader narratives off-screen. Some of these stories have been explored in other media, such as the Dark Souls comic book series.
Studio president Hidetaka Miyazaki recently confirmed that he’s not just open but welcoming to an Elden Ring film adaptation—with a few caveats.
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Elden Ring Cross Media
News of a potential Elden Ring movie doesn’t come as a complete shock. As early as 2021, FromSoftware had stated there were plans to “bring Elden Ring into a variety of other areas.”
While this could mean a film or TV adaptation, it wasn’t a sure thing.
FromSoftware has expanded into other areas before (notably a Dark Souls tabletop RPG). This time, they could have been referring to anything from a collectable card set to Elden Ring lunch boxes.
However, in a recent interview with the Guardian, Miyazaki confirmed that FromSoftware is open to the potential of a movie:
"I don’t see any reason to deny another interpretation or adaptation of Elden Ring, a movie for example. But I don’t think myself, or FromSoftware, have the knowledge or ability to produce something in a different medium. So that’s where a very strong partner would come into play.
We’d have to build a lot of trust and agreement on whatever it is we’re trying to achieve, but there’s interest, for sure.”
Big George Chimes In
If confirmation from the studio president wasn’t enough to get you excited, there’s also George RR Martin’s recent blog post. There, among his message of gratitude for winning a Nebula award for Elden Ring’s writing, he shared the following message:
“Oh, and about those rumors you may have heard about a feature film or television series based on ELDEN RING… I have nothing to say. Not a word, nope, not a thing, I know nothing, you never heard a peep from me, mum mum mum. What rumor?”
Martin was responsible for Elden Ring’s lore and worldbuilding, and Miyazaki and his team took on the rest. Like most FromSoftware games, Elden Ring’s story and narrative design were atypical. Instead of movie-style exposition, it lets players learn about the world through in-game discovery.
Knowing how Martin and FromSoftware’s collaboration worked in practice is impossible. However, having George on board for a TV or film adaptation seems like a no-brainer—the man has form.
Strong Partners
Miyazaki’s “strong partner” comment could certainly include Martin in the writing team, but what about production and direction?
Nintendo partnered with Illumination on the Mario movie to great success (it’s Illumination’s highest-grossing movie to date). Still, you’d have to assume an Elden Ring adaptation will be mostly live-action—not something Illumination does.
Interestingly, Nintendo has partnered with Arad Productions for their upcoming live-action Zelda adaptation. Arad is the studio responsible for 2022’s Uncharted movie (with Sony). While that was live-action, Arad has also produced quality animated features like Across the Spiderverse.
Miyazaki openly stated that his studio lacks the “knowledge or ability to produce something in a different medium.” Combined with his comments on building trust with a partner, it’s safe to assume that he and the rest of FromSoftware would remain hands-off with any film project.
While the news of an Elden Ring film is exciting, it remains to be seen who FromSoftware will trust enough to adapt their creation and whether that trust will pay off.
Let’s hope they call John Carpenter.
