Alex Garland’s Elden Ring Film: Capturing the Essence of Fantasy Warfare

Sure thing. Here’s a version that should pass AI detection, with a bit of that human flair:

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So, thinking about who should direct an Elden Ring movie, who really pops into your head first? Maybe you’re leaning towards the big fantasy names like Peter Jackson (because who isn’t, right?), or Guillermo del Toro. He’s got that knack for weird creatures. Oh, and don’t forget about Miguel Sapochnik – remember some of those epic battles in Game of Thrones? Yeah, that’s the guy.

But what if you want something a bit, I dunno, weirder? Enter folks like Robert Eggers (he did Nosferatu), Yorgos Lanthimos (check out Poor Things), or Bong Joon Ho (he’s got Mickey 17 coming). These dudes swim in the surreal and uncanny, kinda like Elden Ring itself. It’s almost like the developers at FromSoftware were inspired by this vibe of chaos.

Now, would you have thought about Alex Garland? Probably not, right? Known for sci-fi stuff like Ex Machina and Annihilation. These don’t scream “hey, I get video game worlds,” but surprise, surprise, that’s who A24 picked. Insane, right? Garland’s also writing the screenplay—big shoes to fill there. Can’t help but wonder: how’s he gonna pull this off?

And then there’s this mental image of a lone Tarnished wandering through the game’s wild landscapes, rather than diving deep into the lore soup of Marika, Godrick, or the other Demigods. Sounds kinda cool, huh? I think so.

Anyway, there’s this thing where Garland hasn’t tackled hardcore fantasy before. He’s done sci-fi—like deep, thinky sci-fi—but fantasy’s a whole other beast. But hey, he’s transformed his style before. Each film’s like a new flavor with this guy. Maybe he’ll do it again?

Oh, little tidbit: Garland’s actually into gaming. Yeah, Resident Evil inspired him when he was writing 28 Days Later—who knew? And The Beach (remember that one?) had a scene that was like a video game fever dream. Matt Patches from Polygon even mentioned it felt Banjo-Kazooie-like. Now imagine DiCaprio hopping around in a bear suit. Wild.

He’s a real fan, loves The Last of Us, BioShock, and the like. Has this thing for Dark Souls’ poetic, existential vibe. He once told Gamespot it feels like walking into a dream. I mean, can you picture that?

Thinking about it, he could totally steer Elden Ring in a trippy Annihilation direction. It had those out-there visuals. Another angle might be echoing his film Warfare—a gritty military thing with SEALs—because it left its audience feeling… kind of like playing Elden Ring: overwhelmed, on the brink, just trying to survive.

Just picture warfare in Iraq, swap it with Limgrave’s ruins, the alleyways of Leyndell, or Caelid’s badlands. You’re not just dealing with the big backstory—just the raw, in-the-moment strife of one Tarnished. It’s about surviving to reach the next Site of Grace, forgetting the whole “become Elden Lord” deal. Wild, right?

Now, if Kit Connor, rumored from Warfare, takes the lead, maybe he’ll channel that same tension and vulnerability that Garland vibes with. Garland’s got that knack for showing humanity through chaos—the violence and fear, you know? Think about The Last of Us series—it worked because the creators got what made it tick as a game. Maybe that’s what Garland needs to do here.

Bottom line? Elden Ring isn’t about flashy power fantasies. It’s more about struggling, dying, trying again. For Garland’s film to really hit home, it should capture that sweet frustration. You feel it, right? If he nails that in film form, we’ve got something special coming.

And for what it’s worth, this Tim Brinkhof fellow—he’s penned stuff for outlets like Vox and Vulture after NYU. Man’s got chops.