Garland's 7th Elden Ring Run Conquers Toughest Boss

Alex Garland, director of the highly anticipated Elden Ring movie, is currently on his seventh playthrough of FromSoftware's epic fantasy RPG. He recently revealed which boss he found most challenging.

In an interview with IGN ahead of the release of "28 Years Later" — the zombie apocalypse film he wrote, following the original by 23 years — the director of Ex Machina and Civil War confirmed Malenia, Blade of Miquella as the toughest Elden Ring boss he has faced.

“Malenia is the real challenge,” Garland noted. “I’m now on my seventh playthrough. My character is leveled up, with plenty of power and a cool sword, so I just repeatedly throw myself at her again and again.”

“That approach is something I learned from Dark Souls," he added. “You don’t necessarily get better — it’s more like the monkeys and typewriters idea. You keep trying, and eventually, one day, they fall.”

Interestingly, Garland didn’t struggle much with Starscourge Radahn. He even shared his personal strategy for defeating the gravity-wielding horseman.

“Radahn is actually quite easy,” Garland stated. “I found him straightforward because once you activate the allies available during the fight, they handle most of the work and take about half his health. Then you just finish him off. It’s all about using those summon signs scattered around.”

Will these bosses appear in A24’s Elden Ring film adaptation? As expected, Garland stayed quiet about his plans for the project. In fact, details remain scarce about the Elden Ring movie, which Garland is writing and directing in collaboration with publisher Bandai Namco and A24. George R. R. Martin, co-creator of Elden Ring, is attached as a producer alongside Vince Gerardis. DNA’s Peter Rice, Andrew Macdonald, and Allon Reich will also produce. It’s still unclear how involved FromSoftware or game director Hidetaka Miyazaki will be.

What storyline should the Elden Ring movie follow? Personally, I think a prequel based on The Shattering would be a smart move, rather than retelling the game’s plot. Have your own idea? Share it with us in the comments below!