EXCLUSIVE: A24‘s fantasy video game adaptation Elden Ring is heading to the American Film Market where it’ll be the biggest-budget standalone project ever on sale at a film or TV market.
We hear from sources the budget is being pegged between $175M-$200M, but closer to the latter, which takes the project beyond previous tentpoles that have hit markets, including the latest Hunger Games instalment. Mel Gibson’s upcoming Resurrection Of The Christ films came with a near-$200M price tag but across two films.
Currently in post, the Alex Garland-scripted and directed action epic is the talk of the acquisitions community given its scale and ambition. We can reveal today that Amazon MGM has pre-empted that interest by taking a bunch of international pay-1 streaming rights off the table in a big deal. The pact is understood to cover a large number of international markets and sources speculate to us that it is easily worth tens of millions of dollars. We hear the deal could also potentially lead to interesting activations on Amazon’s Twitch platform.
Amazon is a natural partner for the project given its previous Lord Of The Rings investment and flexibility when it comes to international dealmaking. A24, which is fully financing the movie, will have needed/wanted at least one studio partner at that budget. Some international buyers may be disappointed that all-rights aren’t on the table, but their risk now lessens. All-rights asking prices at that budget would have likely been record-breaking and eye-watering.
Cast includes Kit Connor, Ben Whishaw, Cailee Spaeny, Tom Burke, Havana Rose Liu, Sonoya Mizuno, Jonathan Pryce, Ruby Cruz, and Nick Offerman. The A-list creative team includes costume designer Jenny Beavan, hair and makeup designer Paul Gooch, and production designers Mark Digby and Michelle Day. David J Thompson is DoP.
Garland wrapped over the summer and is now in post with Industrial Light & Magic. Release is set for March 2028 in theaters and IMAX.
The script has been closely guarded in the period leading up to next week’s AFM in Los Angeles in ways generally reserved for the biggest IP. In what seems to be an industry first, A24 is flying members of its team directly to international buyers for them to read the script with the staffer present. It’s a long read. We hear it runs to at least 180 pages with visuals, implying the movie could push towards three hours.
While plot details are largely being kept under wraps we understand that in-demand Heartstopper actor Connor is the protagonist and the “faithful” film will follow his journey. There are said to be battles between his character and impressive monsters and dragons. But such is the secrecy around the project that parts of the script are being held back from buyers in what is presumably a bid to avoid spoilers and increase intrigue. There is due to be some kind of presentation at the AFM, potentially with footage.
Released to critical acclaim in 2022, the role-playing game from Japanese publisher Bandai Namco is set in a dark fantasy world and allows players to head off on adventures within vast environments and dungeons. The main aim is to journey across ‘The Lands Between’ to defeat the corrupted demigods (known as Shardbearers), and repair the shattered Elden Ring to become the Elden Lord. Created under the guidance of FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, the game is based on a story written by Game of Thrones originator George R.R. Martin.
Newly minted Netflix CCO Peter Rice is producing the movie alongside Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich from DNA, as well as Martin and Vince Gerardis.
Since its release, the game has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and received dozens of awards. It ranks among the highest-rated games of all time and had one of the biggest debuts in Twitch history.
The expectation from sources we’ve spoken to, and on fan forums, is that if the movie goes well, there would likely be a sequel. It’s prime fare to become a franchise. But that’s a long way down the line and we’ve heard nothing so far about a sequel being in the works. Elden Ring would need to make a lot of money for that to come to pass. Garland and A24 are first teaming on a Zendaya sci-fi film which is due to shoot in 2027.
Meanwhile, the fast-ascending Kit Connor is on course to have Elden Ring and the next X-Men movie — playing Cyclops — both releasing in 2028, which could catapult him to tier 1 stardom.
A24, Amazon, and producers declined to comment.