Kit Connor in Talks for the Lead Role in the Elden Ring Film
Connor has already worked with Alex Garland on "Warfare"
There's news about the "Elden Ring" film adaptation! According to industry magazine Deadline, "Warfare" star Kit Connor is in talks for the lead role.
A deal has not been signed yet as negotiations are at an early stage. However, casting Kit Connor would take his career to a new level. The actor celebrated his breakthrough with the Netflix series "Heartstopper" and has already worked with the meanwhile confirmed director Alex Garland on the war film "Warfare".
The "Elden Ring" film adaptation is already one of the most ambitious projects from studio A24, which is known for its original and visually impressive productions. The game of the same name, which was released in February 2022, was a huge success, selling over 30 million copies and delighting fans and critics alike. The game's expansive open world, challenging combat and in-depth narrative made it a global phenomenon. A release date for the movie has not yet been set.
The Dark Magic of The Lands Between: Fantasy Films in the Style of "Elden Ring"
The world of "Elden Ring", the acclaimed action RPG from FromSoftware, has set a new direction in the fantasy genre with its dark aesthetic, fragmented narrative and melancholy atmosphere. Fans of the game yearn for cinematic works that strike a similar tone – not only visually, but also emotionally and thematically. While many classic fantasy films follow clear good-and-evil structures, "Elden Ring" offers a mystical, cryptic world in which everything lies in twilight. It is precisely this quality that can also be found in selected works of fantasy cinema – especially in films such as "The Green Knight", "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Northman".
The Foundation: What Makes "Elden Ring" Fantasy?
In contrast to conventional fantasy adventures with a clear hero's journey, "Elden Ring" offers a world that is experienced rather than explained. Players are immersed in The Lands Between, a shattered realm full of abandoned ruins, half-forgotten myths and ambivalent characters. There is hardly any obvious narrative – instead, the story unfolds through hints, hidden clues, visual symbolism and atmospheric level design.
This type of storytelling is reminiscent of a cinematic philosophy that focuses on atmosphere and interpretation rather than exposition. It is not for nothing that "Elden Ring" and its spiritual predecessors (such as "Dark Souls") have been compared to "art films in game form" on several occasions. And this aesthetic can also be found in some extraordinary fantasy movies.
"The Green Knight": Arthurian Legend in the Shadow of Transience
One of the movies that comes closest to "Elden Ring" is David Lowery's "The Green Knight" (2021). Based on the medieval Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain, the film tells the journey of a young knight who faces a mysterious test – a green, supernatural knight who challenges him and promises him his own death a year later.
The visual language of the film – mist-shrouded forests, crumbling ruins, faceless figures – is strongly reminiscent of the landscapes of The Lands Between. The theme of the existential quest, the unreliability of reality and the constant confrontation with death, honor and inner emptiness are also elements that underpin both "The Green Knight" and "Elden Ring". The question of the meaning of the journey, the nature of courage and the inevitable passing of all things – all this is not explained, but shown. The film thrives on the scope for interpretation, on the symbolic overload – in keeping with the Soulsborne tradition.
"Pan's Labyrinth": Fantasy as a Mirror of Horror
Another movie that achieves a similar effect is Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006). While the film is formally set in 1940s Spain, the young protagonist opens up a nightmarish fantasy world. This world is beautiful, but dangerous; magical, but deeply sad.
As in "Elden Ring", there is no security here either. The rules are unclear, the characters ambivalent. The famous pale man with his eyes in his hands or the mysterious faun could just as easily be lurking in an underground dungeon from FromSoftware. "Pan's Labyrinth" shows that fantasy doesn't have to be escapist – it can also be a confrontation with pain, loss and moral uncertainty. An aesthetic that overlaps with that of "Elden Ring" in a remarkable way.
The Nihilistic North: "The Northman" and the Power of Fate
Robert Eggers' "The Northman" (2022) also fits into this category. The brutal-realistic Viking film is steeped in myths, rituals and dark visions. The boundaries between reality and vision become blurred; the main character is driven by revenge and providence in equal measure. The camera moves through barren landscapes, piles of corpses and nightmarish dream sequences – a stylistic device strongly reminiscent of the journey of a tainted man in "Elden Ring", who seeks his own path amidst corruption and curse.
The Future of Fantasy: Between Darkness and Freedom
Films such as "The Green Knight", "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Northman" show that Fantasy doesn't have to be colorful, loud and heroic. It can also be told introspectively, darkly and in fragments. "Elden Ring" thus exemplifies a new direction – for fantasy that dares to leave questions unanswered, show ambivalence and seek beauty in decay. If the movie world continues on this course, we could see a wave of fantasy movies in the coming years that not only challenge the eye, but also the mind and heart – just as "Elden Ring" has done.
