Amazon Buys Elden Ring Film Rights; Three-Hour Cut

Picture colossal ruins, ash-swept battlefields and a lone warrior stepping into frame on an IMAX screen. Big-budget fantasy is coming for a game that thrived on mystery. Quietly, and with a sum that insiders call substantial, Amazon just secured the international streaming rights to A24's Elden Ring adaptation.

Deadline first reported the deal — described as worth "tens of millions" — which would place the film on Prime Video after its theatrical window. The sale is a major coup for A24. It also chips away at a production bill reportedly near $200 million, a figure that would make this the studio's most expensive release to date.

The project has been wrapped for months, yet A24 has guarded details like a relic. Alex Garland wrote and directed the adaptation, and the cloak-and-dagger approach isn't accidental: the studio has reportedly been flying staff to buyers so scripts can be read under supervision, an unusual move meant to plug leaks and tamp down spoilers before the film finds its audience.

That script is large. Sources say Garland's screenplay runs about 180 pages — which, in film terms, often translates to roughly a three-hour running time. Editors could pare that down. They often do. Still, for Garland — whose longest directorial effort so far, Annihilation, was just under two hours — this would be a stretch into epic territory.

The story centers on a character played by Kit Connor, described as a tarnished warrior embarking on a perilous journey through the Lands Between. Expect monstrous encounters, vast beasts and dragons that feel as alive as the game's lore. The full plot and most character arcs remain intentionally vague, which suits A24's strategy: build mystery, not spoilers.

Trade screenings and sales talks will intensify at the American Film Market in Los Angeles from November 10 to 15, where the film is expected to be shown to distributors and buyers — probably behind closed doors. A24's secrecy suggests any public teasers will be sparse until the studio is ready to control the narrative.

When Elden Ring opens on March 3, 2028 in cinemas and IMAX, audiences will see an ensemble that includes Kit Connor, Ben Whishaw, Kiley Spini, Tom Burke, Havana Rose Liu, Sonoya Mizuno, Jonathan Pryce, Ruby Cruz, Nick Offerman, John Hodgkinson, Jefferson Hall, Emma Laird and Peter Serafinowicz. Whether the final cut clocks in near three hours or is trimmed for pacing, the film already feels like an event: a commercial partner in Amazon and A24's art-house instincts in one frame.

So, will this adaptation honor the game's sprawling mysteries or reshape them for a wider audience? Either way, the first glimpse will say a lot about how studios handle the tightrope between fidelity and spectacle.