One of the most promising movie adaptations of a video game is quickly taking shape. A24 and Bandai Namco are producing a live-action movie version of Elden Ring, the popular (over 30 million copies sold) and often-challenging fantasy action role-playing game based on a story by Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin. Here’s everything you need to know for the premiere.
Elden Ring movie director and cast
The director of Ex Machina is bringing in major talent
Alex Garland is writing and directing the Elden Ring movie. He’s best known for high-concept and often unflinching projects that address difficult topics, including Ex Machina, Civil War, and Warfare. This matches the grim nature of the game world, and we’d expect his style to greatly influence the production.
The cast, in turn, includes alumni from Garland’s previous titles as well as recognizable actors from across movies and TV shows. This includes Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), and Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace). The full cast list, along with examples of their most closely associated work, is available below.
- Kit Connor (Warfare)
- Ben Whishaw (Skyfall)
- Cailee Spaeny (Civil War)
- Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)
- Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms)
- Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina)
- Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)
- Ruby Cruz (Bottoms)
- Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation)
- John Hodgkinson (Napoleon)
- Jefferson Hall (Oppenheimer)
- Emma Laird (28 Years Later)
- Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)
What is the Elden Ring movie about?
Plot details are a mystery for now
A24 and Bandai Namco haven’t shared much about the story of the Elden Ring movie as of this writing. However, it’s being developed with oversight from both George R. R. Martin and game developer FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, so it shouldn’t veer too far from the stories and themes of the 2022 RPG.
The game has you becoming one of the Tarnished, an exile from the Lands Between whom is summoned back to the realm after Queen Marika shatters the Elden Ring (the world’s physical manifestation of order) and sparks a war among her demigod children as they fight over the ring’s pieces. You set out to repair the ring and become the Elden Lord, but your actions in the game can lead to one of multiple endings. It’s not clear which ending (if any) the movie will use, but they’re wildly different and have long-lasting consequences.
There is a game expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, that follows the path of Marika’s child Miquella and his followers. It’s not known if the movie will draw on this extra material for its storyline, which is considered more of a subplot than a key part of the narrative. We wouldn’t count on the big-screen title borrowing from Nightreign, as it’s a cooperative multiplayer game with randomized enemies.
When is the Elden Ring movie coming out?
Production is underway
A24 and Bandai Namco have confirmed a March 3, 2028 release date for the Elden Ring movie. Production has begun as of spring 2026, with IMAX filming included for certain theatrical and at-home releases. Filming will begin in the U.K.
It’s not certain which streaming services will offer the movie once its theatrical presence comes to a close. While A24 has a multi-year deal with HBO Max for titles like the Timothée Chalamet vehicle Marty Supreme and the upcoming Hugh Jackman title The Death of Robin Hood, Apple TV has an ongoing set of exclusives that include the Spike Lee movie Highest 2 Lowest and 2026’s The Drama, which stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. Martin’s involvement with HBO for Game of Thones isn’t guaranteed to influence the choice of service.
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The one certainty is the Elden Ring movie is unlike much of what its creators have done before. A24 has dabbled in fantasy (such as its epic poem adaptation The Green Knight) but is more commonly linked with indie-style projects such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s The Smashing Machine. Garland, meanwhile, is known for the 28 Days Later zombie franchise and all-too-plausible future scenarios like Ex Machina and Civil War.
Elden Ring is a fantasy movie based on an already successful franchise with a strong ensemble cast. It’s not necessarily poised to achieve The Lord of the Rings levels of success. That will depend on both the end result and the promotional campaign. It’s nonetheless the closest A24 has come to a blockbuster movie so far, and the March 2028 opening suggests both A24 and Bandai Namco have confidence in the end result—they’re scheduling it for the start of the peak movie viewing season.
Elden Ring
- Release Date
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March 3, 2028
- Director
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Alex Garland
- Writers
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Alex Garland
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
