Director Alex Garland's film of the fantasy video game Elden Ring appears to have finished shooting. It is now in post-production, The Guardian reported on Monday. Cailee Spaeny, Ben Whishaw, Nick Offerman, Sonoya Mizuno, Peter Serafinowicz and Jonathan Pryce lead the cast. Garland both wrote and directed the film.
Amazon MGM has reportedly bought streaming rights in many international markets. Cinema distribution rights are on offer at November's American Film Market. According to reports cited by The Guardian, it will be the most expensive stand-alone project ever offered for sale. Deadline puts the budget at close to $200 million.
The game has sold more than 30 million copies, according to The Guardian. Many players rank it among the greatest video games ever made. Author George RR Martin wrote the myth of warring demigods behind the game's world. Garland's earlier credits include Dredd, Ex Machina, Annihilation and Civil War.
The Guardian argues that the film could become Hollywood's goriest fantasy movie yet. It says the game is closer to horror than to mainstream sword-and-sorcery. Its creatures include monsters with worms for faces and giant hand-shaped spiders. Leaked images suggest the film shows Leyndell, the game's capital, still full of living people. They also hint at the execution of a character called the Dung Eater. The Guardian says this points to a possible prequel set before the game's events.
The paper also notes that big fantasy adaptations often disappoint. It names The Golden Compass, Warcraft and The Dark Tower as films that excited fans but failed to deliver. It adds that Garland's films usually avoid tidy Hollywood endings. It asks whether he will keep that freedom on a film costing close to $200 million. No release date has been reported.