Summary
It has been confirmed that Alex Garland will direct anElden RingMovie for A24 Films. George R.R. Martin is also confirmed to be involved in the movie as a producer. So far, the movie is taking all the right steps in terms of hiring the right people. Alex Garland is a keen video game enthusiast who cites the medium’s influence in his filmography, and George R.R. Martin is an accomplished writer who worked directly on theElden RingVideo game story.
But that’s not what’s most intriguing in this upcomingElden Ringadaption. A24 is an independent film company best known for their groundbreaking award-winning movies. Audiences also regard A24 as an arthouse film company. Their narratives can be complex and thought-provoking and not always the most digestible for mainstream audiences; they have a house style of artistic lighting and cinematography. Anyone familiar with the history of ‘video game movies’ will know that the aforementioned style and direction don’t exactly fit the common perception of video game adaptations, which is what makes the inclusion of A24 so interesting, and also points to a shift in the culture where studios are starting to see merit in the worlds and stories created within the video game medium.
The Not-So Proud History Of “Video Game Movies”
The first noted video game adaptation wasSuper Mario Bros.in 1993. It made sense to start with one of the most beloved and recognizable video game series. However, what didn’t make sense was the movie itself. Theater audiences in 1993 were truly confused at the baffling choices the movie made. Most notably, the choice to have the movie take place in live action in an alternative universe called Dinohatton, featuring a Mario and Luigi who not only didn’t resemble the iconic characters but also had a significant age gap between them, and shared very few features which could have convinced audiences that the two were related. There was also very little in the way of a narrative for the audiences to grab on to. The movie chose spectacle over plot and the result was thoroughly disappointing for fans of the game series.
TheSuper Mario Bros. movie was, sadly, not a one-off, and it seemed like every video game adaptation that followedseemed to somehow make the same mistakeas all the others, taking a beloved franchise and adapting very little of the source material, to create a basic action-adventure movie that only uses the video game title as a ploy to get fans to buy tickets, rather than genuinely trying to adapt it for a new medium. In recent years, the television medium has proven slightly more effective at adapting video games, but for the most partthe genre seems to be cursed, and this has resulted in major movie studios avoiding these projects like the plague, because of their historically poor reputation.
A24 Is The Perfect Choice For Video Game Projects
While it may not sound obvious at first, the backing of an arthouse movie studio is just what ‘video game movies’ have been crying out for, and A24’s house style arguably makes it the most suitable home for future projects. A24’s style has been described by fans and critics as mid-budget ‘elevated horror’. Or in other words, psychological horror films that make good use of cinematography and other film-making techniques to build suspense and fear, rather than over-the-top gory horror films that rely on shock factor to scare the audience.
As well as Garland’sElden Ringmovie, it has also been confirmed that A24 will be working on ahorror movie based on ‘the backrooms’, which could fit very well with A24’s signature style. While not originally a video game, fan projects have brought the backroom concept to the video game medium, so it could be argued this is the studio adapting another video game. The concept of ‘elevated horror’ could also suit many other video game titles;Silent Hill, Bioshock, Alan Wakeand potentially many more. But, this all relies on the success of theElden Ringmovie, and whether it could finally break the video game movie curse.
Elden Ring’s Big Screen Potential
One of the first things people comment on aboutElden Ring(and all the FromSoftware games really) isits extreme difficulty level. Perhaps Garland could employ a similar tactic used in Sam Mendes'1917, of a continuous tracking shot, which Mendes used to convey the relentless never-ending action and impending danger of the front line. Ironically, Mendes' inspiration to use this technique came fromRed Dead Redemption 2and seeing how an over-the-shoulder camera forms an attachment between the player and the main controllable character.
Another distinguishing trait of the game is its stunning visual set pieces, which it’s almost guaranteed will not be a struggle for an A24 movie, as the distinct and visually appealing shots are present in all A24 titles. A24 movies manage to make individual frames composed in a way to make it look like an on-screen real-time painting, and anyone who’s played throughElden Ringwill have at some point had a similar thought about the backdrops and locations in the game.
So, for all purposes, the game, the director and the studioseem like a perfect combination. The movie certainly has a lot to prove, but whatever the outcome, the very fact alone that arthouse studios and directors are starting to see the potential in the stories of beloved video games likeElden Ringcan only be a good sign for fans.
