A24’s Elden Ring movie could run nearly three hours, based on its 180-page script

So, Elden Ring is on its way to cinemas, and if the early chatter is anything to go by, this could end up as one of the most sprawling fantasy films we’ve seen since Peter Jackson made everyone’s knees numb with The Lord of the Rings marathons. The latest update — and it is a big one — is that the script itself runs to a frankly outrageous 180 pages. For those unfamiliar with how this works in Hollywood-land: that’s usually a page per minute, give or take. Do the easy maths, and you’re staring down the barrel of a film that could run close to three hours. As of now, A24 (the studio chancing it all on this madness) hasn’t made the running time official, so don’t take out a mortgage on popcorn just yet.

The Elden Ring film script clocks in at 180 pages, hinting at a potential three-hour marathon in cinemas.

This is all rumour and industry whisper for the moment, but if it pans out, we’re talking Tolkein-length indulgence or even a bit longer. The studio is being typically cagey, but the figures do get your attention.

Lockdown at A24

A24 is getting properly paranoid over leaks, especially with the AFM (American Film Market) looming in Los Angeles. They’re so nervous, apparently, that team members are being dispatched to monitor every script reading with hawk eyes, especially when dealing with international buyers. Key story details? Not going anywhere. It’s all need-to-know as they keep the real goods well away from hungry Reddit threads.

And it’s not just the length that’s eye-watering. The price tag is, hands down, historic. The word from Deadline is that the budget could be floating anywhere between $175 million and $200 million — by far the largest one-off project anyone’s ever brought to a film or TV market.

Streaming-wise, Amazon MGM Studios has thrown down for international pay-one streaming rights. That particular deal is reportedly worth tens of millions, so A24 isn’t exactly re-mortgaging the office. There’s money flying all over the place for this thing, and it’s not even out yet.

Who’s In, Who’s Behind It

Alex Garland, last seen writing and directing various deeply unnerving sci-fi films, is steering this ship. He’s handling both script and direction, so expect something a bit left-field rather than bland high fantasy. The cast is actually a decent lineup, too:

• Kit Connor – he gets protagonist duties; the unlucky soul set to battle monsters and dragons across a George R. R. Martin-shaped landscape.
• Ben Whishaw
• Cailee Spaeny
• Tom Burke
• Nick Offerman

And in terms of source material, this adapts FromSoftware’s massive 2022 hit game, itself a collaboration between Hidetaka Miyazaki (who’s a gaming demigod) and, yes, George R. R. Martin (who’s probably still not done with his books). At this stage, the film’s already in post-production, so most of the chaos is behind them. Mark your calendars: they’re targeting an IMAX and cinema release for March 2028, which is a clever way of making everyone feel old.

Until A24 sends out something more concrete, the actual runtime is stuck in the land of hot guesses, based solely on the script’s epic length and Garland’s track record for not cutting things for anyone’s convenience.