George R. R. Martin's Upcoming Movie Is The Fantasy Event Of The Decade

Published Aug 5, 2026, 6:15 PM EDT Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. Among George R. R. Martin’s upcoming projects across different media is a movie with the potential to be the fantasy event that this decade needs. The fantasy genre is home to some of the richest, most extensive, and exciting worlds, some of them highly influential in the genre and in film and TV in general. Of course, there are names heavily associated with fantasy, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Guillermo del Toro, and Tim Burton, and one who has left his mark in literature, TV, and film is George R. R. Martin. Martin is best known for writing the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, which was adapted into the TV series Game of Thrones, widely regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time. Aside from the Game of Thrones universe, which continues to expand on TV and will soon branch out to film, other works by Martin have been adapted to the big screen, most recently In the Lost Lands. Martin has some exciting projects lined up for the near future, among them a movie adaptation of Elden Ring. Directed by Alex Garland, Elden Ring has Martin among its producers, and it’s set for a March 3, 2028, release. Elden Ring is part of the ongoing trend of movie adaptations of popular video games, but unlike recent examples like Uncharted and A Minecraft Movie, which succeeded at the box office but were critical failures, it has the potential to be a success, as well as the fantasy event of the decade. Elden Ring Can Be The Biggest High Fantasy Adaptation Of The Decade Elden Ring is an action role-playing game written by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin, released in 2022. Elden Ring takes players into the realm of the Lands Between, and their goal is to repair the title Elden Ring, a powerful force that manifests as the physical concept of order that was destroyed by Queen Marika, while also defeating her demigod children. Miyazaki wrote Elden Ring’s main storyline, while Martin provided worldbuilding and more for it. Elden Ring was a huge success, and it’s widely regarded as one of the best games of all time, thanks to its storytelling, worldbuilding, exploration, and more. In 2025, a movie adaptation of Elden Ring was announced, with Alex Garland as director and writer. Kit Connor, Cailee Spaeny, and Ben Whishaw were later confirmed to star, and Elden Ring officially started filming in April 2026 and ended in July 2026, with a release date set for March 2028. The Elden Ring movie can be the high fantasy event of the decade thanks to Martin’s world-building, Garland’s track record with fantasy and sci-fi projects (most notably Ex-Machina and Annihilation), its characters, and narrative style – that, of course, supposing the movie is staying true to all these elements that made the video game so good. What Elden Ring’s Movie Adaptation Needs To Succeed A successful and popular video game like Elden Ring faces a couple of obstacles when it comes to its movie adaptation. Perhaps the biggest and most important element that Garland’s Elden Ring has to get right is its atmosphere, which plays a huge role in the story and overall vibe of the game. With such a rich universe with a variety of characters and stories, the Elden Ring movie has to be wise in the stories it chooses to cover to avoid an overstuffed and potentially confusing plot. At the same time, Elden Ring has to stay true to the lore and essence of the game, through which it will appeal to fans of the game, but it also has to be accessible to those unfamiliar with the source material. Despite these challenges and more, Elden Ring already has a lot of potential to succeed thanks to its source material, creators, director, and cast, and if done well, it could be the high fantasy event that this decade needs. Release Date March 3, 2028 Director Alex Garland Writers Alex Garland Producers Allon Reich, Andrew Macdonald, George R. R. Martin, Vince Gerardis, Matthew Penry-Davey