A24 Unveils the Runtime of Elden Ring Movie Adaptation
Few franchises have had requests for adaptations as often as FromSoftware's Soulsborne games. From the original Souls trilogy to Bloodborne and Sekiro, the worlds that FromSoftware designs are such an intriguing mix of…
Few franchises have had requests for adaptations as often as FromSoftware's Soulsborne games. From the original Souls trilogy to Bloodborne and Sekiro, the worlds that FromSoftware designs are such an intriguing mix of unique culture and fantasy strangeness that everyone wants to see more of them, and their biggest setting is getting even bigger.
The Elden Ring movie has been one of the largest productions A24 has ever taken part in, in every sense of the term. The film's runtime has finally been revealed by Cinema Now on Twitter, at a whopping 3 hours. The second-longest film ever made by A24, and their biggest budget venture by far, A24 is clearly ready to put in the work when it comes to adapting the wild world of the Lands Between.
Elden Ring Has So Much to See
Elden Ring is easily the biggest setting FromSoftware has ever put together, both in the actual world to explore and in the depth of its writing. Backed by legendary author George R. R. Martin, the characters and actions that led to the Lands Between are remarkably well-defined, with an entire timeline of royal betrayals, gambits, and knives in the dark.
If Game of Thrones taught us anything, it's that audiences love a bit of royal family drama, especially when those families are fighting back an encroaching apocalypse. While the devastation of the Lands Between is soundly the fault of the gods and their children, a film is the perfect way to give us all that dramatic goodness as a complete package.
We're seeing more and more adaptations of games focus on the world surrounding the original title rather than the direct plot of the games themselves, to fantastic effect. Between Edgerunners' incredibly successful seasons sandwiching the original Cyberpunk 2077, and the FNAF movie's alternate timelines, players want something new, which A24 is primed to deliver.
Hitting theaters March 3rd, 2028, Elden Ring is a real make-or-break when it comes to huge-budget gaming adaptations, introducing an all-new audience to a fantasy setting to rival the Sword Coast. Elden Ring's highly defined characters and motivations make it the easiest FromSoftware property to adapt, other than maybe Sekiro, which is already about to get its own big anime.
I fully expect plenty of non-gamers who heard about Elden Ring in passing to love the film, as long as it manages to truly establish the weird, grand world of the Lands Between on the big screen. That FromSoftware charm is half of the fun, and losing it would be a serious blow to the project.
Why So Serious?
A major issue with plenty of early video game adaptations was the belief that the original property needed some kind of punching up, to ground it or sand off the silly edges. This wasn't even exclusive to other mediums; Capcom's infamous push to 'Americanize' classic titles gave us some of the worst the company has ever put out, a far cry from their recent offerings.
The characters and actions that led to the Lands Between are remarkably well-defined, with an entire timeline of royal betrayals, gambits, and knives in the dark.
FromSoftware's worlds are as engaging as they are because they feel so genuine, not leaning too far in any direction. Elden Ring especially has a lot of comedy, just like A Song of Ice and Fire. The reminder that the world these massive tragedies are taking place in has the capacity for beauty and joy makes them feel worth mourning, or if they aren't lost yet, worth fighting for.
Elden Ring understands that perfectly, filling the world with atrocities like the Hornsent's crimes with talking turtles in holy garb. The Lands Between is a truly different world from ours, and it would be such a lost opportunity if the A24 film forgets this. I'm cautiously optimistic, very excited to see our first showcase of the film once the real PR campaign begins!
Elden Ring RPG Action Systems 9/10OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 95/100 Critics Rec: 97% Released February 25, 2022 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence Developer(s) From Software Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software