Alex Garland’s Elden Ring Film Should Capture the Essence of Fantasy Warfare

Okay, so I know it’s weird to think about who should direct an Elden Ring movie. But if you could pick, like, anyone at all, who’d it be? Maybe the usual suspects pop into your head first—like Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro. They’re like the kings of fantasy land or whatever. Or there’s Miguel Sapochnik, who gave us some of the craziest battle scenes in Game of Thrones. Those were intense.

Now, if you’re into the weird and the wonderful, maybe you’d go with someone like Robert Eggers or Yorgos Lanthimos. Both those dudes get pretty deep and strange—kind of like the vibe you get from playing Elden Ring itself.

But hey, wait for it—A24 threw us a curveball. They went and hired Alex Garland. Yep, the guy behind Ex Machina and Annihilation. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think swords and sorcery, right? He’s more sci-fi than fantasy, and yet here he is, set to write and direct this epic tale for the movies.

I mean, why Garland, you ask? That chap’s done his fair share with the sci-fi stuff, but this is a whole new playground. Adapting video games into movies ain’t easy. And yet, despite having nothing really prominently fantasy-esque in his portfolio, Garland’s up to something interesting here.

Curiously, Garland is an avid gamer (like, who knew?). He’s got a history with video games, believe it or not. Apparently, his love for Resident Evil led to 28 Days Later, and The Beach has these nods to the gaming world too. Wild, right?

And this isn’t just a job to him, unlike some other directors I could mention (still not convinced M. Night Shyamalan ever watched a single episode of Avatar, to be honest). Garland seems genuinely into this gaming world, understanding the depth in games like Dark Souls and such.

His approach to the Elden Ring adaptation? Who knows? It could swing towards the trippy visuals of Annihilation or lean into the gritty, tense atmosphere seen in his military thriller, Warfare. Imagine the chaotic mess of battlefields in Iraq but tossed into the sprawling, mystical landscapes of Elden Ring. Yeah, kind of a mind-bender there.

And then there’s talk that Garland might get Kit Connor from Warfare to take the lead. It lines up, considering the film might just mimic the suspense and fear that make Elden Ring so grip-you-by-the-throat intense.

So, here’s hoping Garland captures that essence of struggle in Elden Ring—where every challenge, every monster can either humble or haunt you. That would feel so true to the game, wouldn’t it?

Anyway, fingers crossed that Elden Ring, when it hits the big screen, does justice to the whole experience for both the gamers and the movie buffs out there. Because if Garland pulls this off, it could be something really memorable.

—Just my two cents on Garland making an Elden Ring movie. What do you think?