Elden Ring and its siblings in the Dark Souls series would not be ideal candidates for video game movies. They’re gameplay-focused experiences that tell their stories through natural environmental methods. That doesn’t suit a medium without interactivity. Any version of an Elden Ring movie would probably be the most experimental video game adaptation ever made. While the very idea raises inconvenient questions about the weaknesses of each medium, it’s hard to believe a film could capture Elden Ring. Maybe something in the prestige TV format would be preferable.
Several high-profile examples have proven that animated television is the best medium for video game adaptations. Live-action films will always be more impressive on a logistical level, but they rarely, if ever, capture the spirit. Live-action TV series offer a lot more room to explore, but their structure often necessitates strange narrative twists and turns. Animated series have consistently proven to be the best option, even if few will acknowledge their quality.
Will there ever be an Elden Ring movie?
There are no currently known plans to adapt Elden Ring into a film or TV project. The creators behind Elden Ring have occasionally hinted at the idea, but there’s nothing set in stone at the moment. George R. R. Martin, co-creator of the game’s lore, teased the idea on his blog. He essentially commented on the rumors surrounding a potential cinematic adaptation, playfully suggesting he knows more than he’s letting on while denying any prior wisdom. FromSoftware president and Elden Ring director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, spoke to The Guardian’s Keza MacDonald late last month. In that conversation, Miyazaki suggested some interest in an Elden Ring movie. He stated:
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.
The idea of an Elden Ring movie is certainly floating around at the moment, but nothing seems confirmed. This could lead to further rumors or even a plan in motion, but it could also remain an idea.
Why would TV fit Elden Ring better than a movie?
Elden Ring is a massive game. That’s almost too obvious to bother stating. Dark Souls and its endless brethren crafted a new genre of tremendous open-world action RPGs. They all deliver their stories through careful details hidden in a thousand cryptic lines of dialogue, item descriptions, and subtle environmental details. Every player can choose their own level of engagement with the narrative. Those who prefer dodging and slashing over reading and listening can do so without issue. Other players might delve so deeply into the obscure details that the emotional impact becomes their favorite aspect of the game. The tale of the player character, the Tarnished in Elden Ring‘s case, is open-ended and vague. However, the world packs infinite stories away in its background details. History is always key to games like this one. Most of the big, cinematic events take place generations before the game starts. The easy way to make an Elden Ring show would be to explore the old times. An epic war between impossibly powerful gods, demigods, and dragons fills the game’s background.
What should an Elden Ring show take inspiration from?
When D. B. Weiss and David Benioff approached George R. R. Martin with their plan to turn his beloved novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire, into an HBO series, he was delighted. Martin spoke to several screenwriters who pitched the project as a feature film. Unfortunately, Martin was certain that no reasonable film could ever capture one of his novels without cutting out an enormous percentage of his work. Perhaps worse, any big-budget film adaptation would likely censor the R-rated details down to a PG-13 rating. Examining the past of Elden Ring reveals a story of all-powerful children fighting for status. Dragons wage war on giants, while towering knights use gravity magic to halt the stars in the sky. The scale is massive, but the themes are believably human. The struggles include countless underhanded political moves, from arming assassins to enlisting powerful magic. This is Game of Thrones on a massive, epic, and spiritual scale.
If Elden Ring ever makes it to the screen, it will require genius execution to pull it off without ruining everything. It’s an absurdly long shot, demonstrating every difficulty a video game adaptation can face in one project. Though any version of bringing Elden Ring out of its interactive medium will be difficult, TV is a far better home than the movie theater. Just as Game of Thrones needed HBO, Elden Ring needs a network or streaming service that can accommodate everything special about the game.
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