Man, when I first heard about Alex Garland directing an Elden Ring movie, I nearly fell off my gaming chair. 🤯 You know Garland - the genius behind 28 Years Later? Well, turns out he went full Tarnished mode just to get Miyazaki's blessing. And I mean FULL commitment. Like, who in their right mind writes a freaking 160-page screenplay draft BEFORE even pitching the project? That's some next-level dedication right there. Most directors would just send a polite email and hope for the best, but Garland? Oh hell no. ✍️

The Pitch That Made Miyazaki Say Yes

Dude literally pulled a "hold my Estus Flask" move. According to the New Yorker piece, Garland didn't just write that brick of a script - he created 40 additional pages of visual references to show exactly how he'd translate the Lands Between to live-action. Think about that for a sec: that's basically a whole artbook's worth of material! Then he hopped on a plane to Japan like some modern-day samurai delivering a scroll. ✈️ Talk about going the extra mile... or should I say extra continent?

• The Insane Preparation: 160-page draft + 40 pages of imagery = pure madness

• The Journey: Flew across the world just for a meeting

• The Payoff: FromSoftware actually greenlit it! 🎉

Why This Feels Different From Other Game Adaptations

Okay, real talk - most video game movies are hot garbage fire 🔥. But Garland being a legit Elden Ring fanboy changes everything. He actually struggled through those brutal bosses like the rest of us peasants! When he talked about that one boss that wrecked him repeatedly... man, I felt that in my soul. We've all been there, right? That time you spent 3 hours getting stomped by Margit while questioning your life choices? Good times.

Typical Game Movie Director	Alex Garland
Sees franchise as cash grab	Actually played the damn game
Generic Hollywood approach	Crafted visual bible beforehand
Might recognize Mario	Knows the pain of Malenia's Waterfowl Dance

The Mysterious Unknowns

Now here's where it gets juicy - we don't know squat about casting or plot details! 🤷‍♂️ Rumors are swirling about the lead actor being chosen already, but A24's keeping tighter secrets than a Mimic Tear. And honestly? That's kinda refreshing in this age of oversharing. The not-knowing makes it more exciting, like exploring a foggy area on the map. Will it follow the Tarnished's journey? Focus on Radahn's festival? Dive into Ranni's lore? Your guess is as good as mine.

• Casting rumors: 🤐

• Story direction: ¯_(ツ)_/¯

• Release window: Probably after Death Stranding adaptation

Why I'm Cautiously Hyped

Look, I've been burned before. cough Assassin's Creed movie cough But between Garland's passion play and A24's track record? This might actually work. They're the studio that made horror fans happy with Hereditary and gamers curious about Death Stranding. Still... translating FromSoftware's beautiful ambiguity to film? That's trickier than no-hit running Malenia. Part of me wonders if some things should stay in the game realm. But another part is already dreaming about seeing those Erdtree vistas on an IMAX screen. 🌳

At the end of the day, Garland didn't just ask permission - he EARNED it. And that alone gives me hope. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go practice my dodge rolls... just in case they need extras for the Radahn fight scene. 😉