A24’s film adaptation of the blockbuster role-playing game Elden Ring is heading to the American Film Market in Los Angeles with a budget of $175 million to $200 million, Deadline reports.
The budget could make it the most expensive standalone project ever offered at a film or television market.
Written and directed by Alex Garland, the fantasy epic stars Kit Connor, Ben Whishaw, Cailee Spaeny, Tom Burke, Jonathan Pryce and Nick Offerman. It is in post-production and is scheduled to open in cinemas and IMAX in March 2028.
Amazon MGM has secured international streaming rights in a deal worth tens of millions of dollars, Deadline reports, taking those markets off the table for other buyers.
A24 is fully financing the project, whose tightly guarded screenplay runs to at least 180 pages, including visuals, cited per the report.
The script’s length suggests the film could approach three hours. Connor plays the central character, whose journey is expected to feature battles against monsters and dragons.
Some script sections are being withheld from buyers to protect plot details, Deadline says. A presentation, potentially including footage, is expected at the market.
The film adapts the 2022 action RPG from Japan’s Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware, set in the Lands Between, where players battle corrupted demigods to restore the shattered Elden Ring.
Elden Ring won Game of the Year (GOTY) at The Game Awards 2022. It holds the record as one of the most awarded games ever, often called a "Souls-like masterpiece" or a simulator of "The Lands Between".
Game of Thrones author George RR Martin helped develop the game’s story under FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki and is producing the film with Peter Rice, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich and Vince Gerardis.
The game has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
Deadline notes that the adaptation could become a franchise if it succeeds commercially, although no sequel is known to be in development.
A24, Amazon and the producers declined to comment, Deadline said.