An Elden Ring fan has imagined what the cast of a film adaptation could be, with the intention of making it as bad as possible. Ignoring the fact that Elden Ring is ostensibly devoid of a traditional style narrative, envisioning famous actors portraying characters such as Godfrey and Radahn will always be compelling.
Video game adaptations have notoriously struggled to find success in the film/television industry, but HBO's The Last of Us was able to carve out an impressive fraction of mainstream attention and widespread critical acclaim earlier this year. It is no surprise to have since learned that other PlayStation titles, including God of War and Ghost of Tsushima, are due to grace television screens as well. However, these games are narrative-driven and provide a template for any adaptation to follow - deviation from the source material has consistently been cited as an issue and was a criticism levied at Paramount's Halo series. In comparison to FromSoftware's prior titles, Elden Ring is ironically by far the easiest to comprehend, but that is not saying much when Dark Souls lore explanations are some of the most popular content on YouTube.
But that will not stop fans from dreaming, especially one Reddit user who began a theoretical cast list with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Radahn. Fully embracing the ridiculous premise, they had Sir Gideon Ofnir played by Nick Cage, a decision some replies deemed to be genius. It only went further downhill from there, with Jennifer Lawrence and Paris Hilton as Malenia and Marika respectively. But Arnold Schwarzenegger embodying Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, is honestly one of the most believable. Seeing the Terminator actor transform in Hoarah Loux would be a sight to behold.
However, one cast list was insufficient, and they returned with an arguably superior part two, inspired by suggestions underneath the original. The stand-out choice here is unquestionably Owen Wilson as Radagon, a casting decision that would significantly reduce how intimidating the final boss fight of Elden Ring is. There is no doubt appeal for a mod that has Wilson's iconic "wow" catchphrase play whenever Radagon deflects a spell from the Tarnished.
Elden Ring is unlikely to ever be adapted for the big screen, but FromSoftware fans are not disappointed by that fact. There have been rumors of a Bloodborne series for years which almost always instill fear into Soulsborne veterans, skeptical that an adaptation could ever possibly work, never mind without the oversight of Hidetaka Miyazaki. The sentiment carries over into discussions of a Bloodborne remake/sequel, with many fans uninterested in the IP unless FromSoftware is involved.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.