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

If you could somehow hire any director for an Elden Ring movie — like, literally anyone — who’d be your pick? Maybe you’d instinctively go for that big fantasy vibe, like Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro. Or, if epic battles are your thing, why not Miguel Sapochnik? He’s the dude behind those wild Game of Thrones battles like Hardhome. But hey, if you’re feeling sorta artsy-fartsy, maybe grab Robert Eggers, Yorgos Lanthimos, or Bong Joon Ho. They’re as weird and wonderful as FromSoftware itself.

Yet, here’s a twist: not many would think of Alex Garland. This British guy, known for slower sci-fi flicks like Ex Machina, doesn’t scream high-fantasy, right? His works like Civil War and Warfare — nothing like FromSoftware. But guess what? A24’s rolling the dice on him to adapt Miyazaki’s masterpiece. You can’t help but wonder how he plans to swing this.

At first, Alex and Elden Ring, you might think, “What’s going on?” He hasn’t dipped his toes into hardcore fantasy yet. And let’s face it, video game movies are tricky as heck. His style? Very dialogue-heavy, like those Ex Machina vibes, while Elden Ring’s all about item descriptions. But—hold on, where was I? Yeah, just because he’s never done fantasy doesn’t mean he can’t try, right? He switched things up before. Who knows, maybe he’ll surprise us.

Okay, actually, this Elden Ring thing might not be so out-of-the-blue for him. Fun fact: Garland’s like, a huge gamer. Resident Evil even gave him a nudge for the script of 28 Days Later. Oh, and The Beach — there’s a scene that’ll make you think of Banjo-Kazooie with DiCaprio. Odd, but true.

Here’s the thing: a lot of directors pretend they like the stuff they’re adapting. But Garland? Dude genuinely digs games like The Last of Us and BioShock. And Dark Souls? He’s into it. Once told Gamespot, “Dark Souls feels like this weird poetic dream.” So, if he sticks to that vibe, well, we might be onto something special.

Honestly, Garland could crank Elden Ring up to Annihilation levels with those trippy visuals, or — bear with me now — why not take a page from Warfare, his gritty war thriller? I mean, swap Iraq’s chaos for Limgrave or Caelid, and you’ve got something wild. That’s what Elden Ring feels like anyway: totally outmatched and desperately trying not to get wrecked.

Rumor has it, Garland’s eyeing Kit Connor for the lead. Maybe we’re in for that tense, menacing vibe from Warfare. It’d be kinda cool. It’s like that season of The Last of Us on HBO, where they just got it right.

Elden Ring — it isn’t about being the hero with superpowers. It’s about countless deaths and that one glorious victory. If Garland nails that — wow, just wow. Through Warfare, we get a sneak peek at what could be when Elden Ring finally climbs onto the big screen.

Tim Brinkhof writes about art and history. After journalism at NYU, he’s written for Vox, Vulture, Slate, and others.