Alright, here goes nothing. So, if I could pick any director for an Elden Ring movie, I’d probably be juggling names like Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro—obviously, right? Even Miguel Sapochnik, because anyone who handled the chaos of Game of Thrones, especially those crazy episodes like Hardhome, has to know a thing or two about fantasy chaos.
But then again, if I’m feeling wild, I might say, “Hey, why not Robert Eggers?” That dude’s known for Nosferatu and all things eerie and offbeat. Or Yorgos Lanthimos, who’s practically the king of weird. Bong Joon Ho, too. Honestly, all of them give off that surreal vibe. Which, let’s face it, FromSoftware excels at—a big pile of cryptic madness.
Funny thing is, none of us would’ve said Alex Garland, right? He’s known for Ex Machina and Annihilation—those films are more like a deep dive into a bottle of weird sci-fi, not really FromSoftware’s style. Surprise, surprise though, A24 thought Garland was the man for the job to bring Hidetaka Miyazaki’s wild world to the big screen. Pretty gutsy. Especially since Garland’s not the type to just cash a check and wing it.
Now, about Garland and Elden Ring—it’s like putting spicy pickles on vanilla ice cream. Weird combo, potentially amazing. Garland’s done a ton of sci-fi, sure, but nothing too heavy in the fantasy realm. Sci-fi’s like his comfort food, but fantasy? That’s a tricky beast, especially with video games turned movies. Most don’t even work out.
Yet, just ’cause he hasn’t made a fantasy flick doesn’t mean he can’t. The guy’s reinvented himself before, going from Civil War and Warfare to something like Ex Machina. Who knows what he’ll cook up next?
And, get this—Garland is a gamer. Seriously, the kind who got Resident Evil vibes and plopped them into his script for 28 Days Later. There’s a scene in The Beach (based on his book, mind you) that Matt Patches at Polygon said could be the closest thing to a Banjo-Kazooie movie ever. If you can picture Leo DiCaprio in it. Yeah, really.
Oh, and these random film peeps? Sometimes they pretend they love what they’re adapting, all to make fans happy. Not Garland. His love for The Last of Us, BioShock—yup, he’s all about Dark Souls. Knows his stuff, talks about Souls games like he’s reading poetry, in this dreamy state. So, making Elden Ring more like Annihilation could totally work if you love visuals that mess with your head. There’s that option.
But let me throw a curveball. How about war film vibes, like in Warfare? That film’s practically crawling with suspense, like the game. You’re this lone Tarnished, hopelessly wandering through the ruins, getting way too caught up in the struggle to even remember the bigger quest. Sounds about right?
Apparently, Garland’s eyeing Kit Connor from Warfare for the lead. Using the same suspenseful tone could translate those themes of fear and despair—stuff Connor’s nailed before. Go figure.
Elden Ring’s not some power fantasy where you’re slicing through baddies all glam and glory. It’s an anti-power fantasy. You’re the small fry battling giants, smashing into that fog wall, dying a dozen deaths before tasting sweet victory. Garland’s challenge? Capture that bitter satisfaction.
And there you have it. If Elden Ring lands in theaters with Garland at the helm, we just might witness something as profound as his previous works. Check back when it hits the big screens. Or don’t. Up to you.
