Brief “Zelda,” “Elden Ring” Filming Updates

Two of the most famous sword-swinging fantasy properties in gaming are getting live-action movie adaptations in the near future with both titles in production.

Of the two, “The Legend of Zelda” is much further along. The Wes Ball-directed title has been filming in New Zealand since November and is expected to wrap in the next few weeks ahead of a release in cinemas next year.

Now, CBR reports that filming on the project has been spotted on location in the rivers and mountains of the Otago region, including the town of Glenorchy.

Located on the southern island of New Zealand, the region was used extensively for filming on “The Lord of the Rings” – standing in for settings like Rohan, Pelennor Fields, Lothlorien, and the area around Isengard among others. Many LOTR tourist day visit operators start out from Glenorchy and the region’s biggest city Queenstown.

Meanwhile, pre-production for Alex Garland’s film adaptation of “Elden Ring” at A24 appears to be underway with Twitch streamer Throxtv uploaded videos to TikTok showing what appears to be the ruins of a Church of Marika and the game’s opening area of Limgrave.

In a Discord message, the poster claims the production is setting up the location just 10 minutes from their house, although it’s unclear where they reside.

A follow-up video showed wagons, barrels, and stacks of cinderblocks along with construction equipment belonging to Hedgehog Construction – a UK company that provides “specialist scenery construction for film and television” and based near Windsor Great Park, according to PC Gamer.

Even so, this has still not been confirmed as yet, though telling is that a third video saw the church now camouflaged by a tarp with possible security outside it. Filming on the project is expected to begin later this year, presumably for a 2028 cinema release.