Elden Ring movie set leaks confirm iconic scene from the game, as well as something new

Momentum is building behind the upcoming Elden Ring movie. In the past few weeks, we've learned that production is gearing up with sets that look identical to the hit video game, and gotten an official announcement for the film's star-studded cast. Now, we have some very intriguing images from the production to build that anticipation even higher.

We've come a long way from the sky-high security of the final seasons of Game of Thrones; these days, it feels like no production can get much done without determined photographers capturing images with cameras or drones. We've seen plenty of these sorts of leaks from the Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, as well as HBO's Harry Potter series. Elden Ring is fast proving to be no exception.

Today UnBoxPHD, a photographer with a reputation for capturing such images, shared some excellent photos and footage from the Elden Ring set in London. We're going to discuss it, but first I need to give a SPOILER WARNING. If you've played the game and want to go into the film without knowing what's in store, you probably want to skip these. If you don't fear such things, carry on. And if you haven't played the game, you'll have no idea who these characters are anyway, so dig into the story and prepare to have your mind warped by this dark fantasy story's dense lore.

Elden Ring movie films Dung Eater's execution

The juiciest footage that UnBoxPHD captured is of the execution of Dung Eater, a loathsome character from the video game who often teeters on the edge of violence. Before you breathe too easily that this terrible character with an equally terrible name is dead, know that death doesn't work like normal in the Elden Ring world. This story is set in a place called the Lands Between, and by the time of the video game the release of true death is denied most beings after the rune which governs it is removed from the titular Elden Ring.

As such, this particular execution doesn't stick. It actually appears in the opening cinematic for the game, which happens well before the player has to contend with Dung Eater or any of the other colorful characters of the Lands Between.

UnBoxPHD also captured a glimpse of the actor who plays Dung Eater's face. I'm not sure if this is one of the named cast or a stunt person; I wouldn't expect to actually see Dung Eater's real human face in the film, so most likely this was just a bit of behind-the-scenes magic captured on film.

This isn't the only intriguing thing they got, either. There's footage of Heartstopper actor Kit Connor on set where this Dung Eater execution scene is being filmed, though he isn't in costume so it's not clear if he's part of it or not. And then there's the following image, which is very much worth talking about:

Emma Laird plays Queen Marika in the Elden Ring movie

That's Queen Marika, a living goddess and arguably the most crucial character in the lore of Elden Ring, whose sudden absence leads to the crisis that drags the Lands Between into a state of eternal undeath. The fact that we're seeing Marika walking around here is notable, because the game doesn't start until long after her disappearance. Given her appearance here during the filming of the Dung Eater execution scene, we're going to see Marika in the movie before she disappears — which means we'll also get a look, however briefly, at the Lands Between before the Shattering, as the event which sundered the Elden Ring into pieces is called.

This footage also gives us our first solid confirmation of who a specific cast member is playing. Marika is played by Emma Laird, a British actress known for Mayor of Kingstown and The Crowded Room. I have a feeling we'll get more of these sorts of soft confirmations for actor roles before filming is through.

What do the Elden Ring set leaks tell us?

Seeing Marika walking around like this is interesting to me as a fan of Elden Ring. On the one hand, it's exciting to see a side of a character we never got in the video game, and this form of Marika certainly fits that bill. On the other, the mystique of Marika is a huge driver of the game lore; her specter looms over the series, as the player gradually unravels the mystery of what happened to Marika over the course of the entire base game. I don't dislike that Elden Ring is showing us Marika before her disappearance, but it definitely makes me very intrigued about what route the film is taking.

The inclusion of Marik and Dung Eater's execution could be a sign that the film is going to recreate the opening of the game. To my eye, there are two options: either the movie ends up continuing events from this point and depicting the Shattering itself to give viewers something completely new from the video game experience, or it treats this as part of an opening montage like the game does before launching us forward in time to the stricken Lands Between that players know and love. Either way, fans have got a treat ahead.

The Elden Ring movie is written and directed by Alex Garland and produced by A24 and Bandai Namco Entertainment. It's based on the hit video game by FromSoftware, with worldbuilding by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. The movie is currently slated for release on March 3, 2028.

We'll have our eyes peeled for more updates and leaks for Elden Ring. See you in the Lands Between!

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