In 2022, From Software released Elden Ring, the latest in a long line of video games from a studio known for making its games bone-breakingly difficult. Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, these are the kinds of games that are liable to make you throw your controller right through your window, and I don't know if insurance is going to cover gamer rage, so proceed with caution.
Elden Ring was special because A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Mantin helped with "the worldbuilding," as he says on his Not a Blog. He's careful to clarify that "Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team did all the rest." It's not clear if Martin actually did writing on Elden Ring, or if he just contributed ideas, or whether those two things are the same; Miyazaki's games aren't known for being verbose. In any case, Elden Ring is a sprawling epic fantasy where gods battle each other for dominance after their leader abandons the throne. It's basically set in the aftermath of a brutal medieval succession crisis, which is very much Martin's lane.
There's never been a film or TV adaptation of a From Software game, although fans have long wanted one; the games ooze atmosphere. Cinematic possibilities present themselves, although the persistent lack of straightforward narratives could be a problem. Anyway, rumors about an Elden Ring adaptation are in the air thanks to the recent release of the DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree. Martin brought the topic up just to play coy:
"Oh, and about those rumors you may have heard about a feature film or television series based on ELDEN RING…I have nothing to say. Not a word, nope, not a thing, I know nothing, you never heard a peep from me, mum mum mum. What rumor?"
I guess we could take him at his word, but no one asked him about an Elden Ring adaptation; he's being ostentatiously evasive of his own accord, which seems a little suspicious. Is there an Elden Ring movie or TV show in the works?
Video game adaptations look like they're the next big thing in Hollywood, so I wouldn't be surprised if a From Software game eventually made its way to the screen. We'll keep an eye out.
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