Every Elden Ring Character Headed to the Big Screen in Alex Garland’s Movie

Well, here we go—Elden Ring is officially jumping from game consoles to the big screen, and Alex Garland (of 'Ex Machina' and 'Annihilation' fame) is at the wheel. Even if you somehow missed the endless memes or watched your friends lose their minds over Malenia fights, you probably know Elden Ring is a juggernaut: a sprawling, bleak fantasy world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki with a heavy dash of George R.R. Martin lore. In short: this is not your average 'sword and sorcery' setting. There are actual, literal, mountains of lore—and a good chance not everyone’s favorite weirdos will survive the jump to film.

What We Know (And What We’re Guessing)

A24’s rolling the dice here with a $100 million budget and a confirmed release date—March 3, 2028. The cast is apparently set, but in classic adaptation fashion, they're keeping character assignments and full plot details close to the chest. So, no, we can’t tell you exactly who’s swinging a sword or munching on eyeballs just yet.

A safe bet: don’t expect the movie to touch characters or storylines exclusive to the DLC (so, sorry to any hopeful Needle Knight Leda or Sir Ansbach fans). There simply isn’t room for every side character or convoluted quest. Anyone hoping for the Dung Eater or Hyetta’s eyeball-eating arc is likely out of luck. But the main game has a Rogues' Gallery of essential weirdos, and there's still a ton of ground to cover.

Who Should (and Could) Make the Cut

• The Tarnished: The story starts and ends with the Tarnished—the blank slate player character dropped into a world gone wrong. The big question: who even plays 'The Tarnished'? Names floating around include Kit Conner, Ben Whishaw, and Tom Burke, but the real challenge is how to turn a silent, self-insert character into a movie lead. Game fans know this character as more of a cipher than a chatterbox, so the movie might need a narrator (someone with the gravitas of Peter Serafinowicz would be perfect) to keep things moving. Also, expect The Tarnished to rock a memorable set of armor—the Raging Wolf Set, maybe?
• Ranni the Witch: If there’s one magical storyline begging for a big-screen treatment, it’s Ranni’s. She’s mysterious, has a killer design, and her quest rope-pulls in some of the best characters (especially Blaidd, who is practically a shoo-in if you're adapting Ranni). Also, her brand of Carian and Dark Moon sorcery just looks cool—ideal for giving the film’s magic some focus. Seriously, if Ranni isn't a central character, I’ll eat my spectral steed.
• Patches: Few Souls fans can imagine a FromSoft game without Patches showing up to troll the player. He’s a survivor, a backstabber, and (let’s face it) an opportunist with more lines of dialogue than anybody else. In any adaptation, he’s a perfect bit of comic relief and an instant nod to fans.
• Gideon Ofnir: The king of exposition at Roundtable Hold isn’t the flashiest boss, but as a manipulator working behind the scenes, Gideon’s tailor-made for film. He might not fight much, but he definitely pulls strings and throws up roadblocks where it hurts. The game doesn’t make him especially memorable if you don’t dig into the lore, but the movie could finally give him his due.
• Blaidd: Giant wolfman, loyal companion, tragic backstory: Blaidd basically checks every box for an unforgettable screen presence. He serves Ranni, he helps the Tarnished, and yes, he broods with the best of them. Since some actors tied to the film have prior voice acting experience, I’d be very surprised if Blaidd wasn’t getting a glow-up for theaters.
• Melina: Melina is the player’s ethereal GPS in-game, but adapting her for film might get tricky. She mainly doles out advice, which doesn't always work on screen. Still, she's visually iconic and could easily be mashed up with other side characters to slim the cast down. I suspect she’ll be reworked (or trimmed), but until we get more info, assume she’s there to at least push things along.
• Malenia, Blade of Miquella: If you only know one boss from Elden Ring, it’s Malenia—legendary, tragic, and toeing the line between nightmare fuel and ballet. There are plenty of other bosses (Godrick, Rennala, Morgott, Godfrey) who could appear, but if you want an action setpiece for the ages, you call in Malenia. If Garland leaves her out, prepare for angry tweets.

Fan Service: Who Might Sneak In (Or At Least Get a Nod)

A good adaptation knows how to wink at long-time fans. In a perfect world, we'd get cameos from:

- Solaire of Astora: technically Dark Souls, but the internet’s favorite sun-praiser deserves a big-screen moment.
- Onion Knight: because what’s more fun than watching him roll his way into trouble?
- 'Let Me Solo Her': a real-life player legend, famous for taking on Malenia solo (pot on head, no armor, dual katanas). If he shows up, even as a background gag, that'll be Garland’s secret handshake with the fandom.

Wishing and Waiting

For me? I’d love to see Iron Fist Alexander (giant clay pot), Miriel (the pope turtle), or even the Dung Eater (sure, why not). But let’s be real: adaptations are about streamlining, not packing in every twisted freak from the game, no matter how beloved.

With a stacked creative team and a ton of world-building potential, this could actually break the video game adaptation curse. Or at least be weird enough to keep me entertained.

If you’ve got your own wishlist for Garland’s Elden Ring, let me know which characters need to make the cut and who you think should wield that oversized sword.

A24 drops Elden Ring in theaters March 3, 2028. We’ve got a long wait—but hey, that’s almost enough time to finally beat Malenia yourself.