A pair of leaked videos circulating on TikTok and Reddit could be our first tangible look at Alex Garland’s upcoming Elden Ring movie—and if they’re legit, the production is going for a shockingly faithful recreation of one of the game’s most iconic landmarks. The footage appears to show a Church of Marika built in an English field, complete with the kind of environmental storytelling clutter that screams FromSoftware.
It matters because the A24-produced adaptation has been mostly radio silence since it was announced, and these clips—real or not—are the first time the project has felt like an actual film being physically constructed rather than an exciting press release.
The Leaked Videos: A Church of Marika in the Real World
Two main pieces of footage are doing the rounds right now. The first is a short TikTok video showing a ruined stone church structure with a statue that looks strikingly similar to the Churches of Marika scattered across Elden Ring’s map. The second clip shows another angle of the same general build, and it’s the little details that are setting the community off—carts, barrels, and set dressing that look like they’ve been lifted straight out of The Lands Between and dropped into live-action.
The original uploader is throxtv (also referred to as THROX), an Elden Ring fan and streamer who posted the initial video and later shared additional footage. The creator has said the set is “somewhere in England,” and that it wasn’t purely a random stumble—someone they know reportedly spotted it first and tipped them off.
There’s also footage suggesting the production (or whoever owns the structure) is actively trying to prevent further photos: one video shows the church apparently covered by a tarp, with two people standing outside. That doesn’t confirm it’s a film set—plenty of productions and promotions use protective coverings—but it does add to the sense that this is something meant to be seen on a controlled schedule, not via TikTok.
The key point: none of this is officially confirmed to be connected to the movie. But the build is specific enough—and recognizable enough—that it’s easy to understand why fans are treating it like a genuine leak.
Is It Real? The AI Question, the Missing Crew, and Why Fans Still Believe
Any time “leaked set footage” hits the internet in 2026, the first question isn’t “where is this?”—it’s “is this even real?”
Skepticism is warranted. AI-generated video has gotten good enough that “looks convincing” isn’t the same as “is authentic,” and there’s a recent example of a viral Doctor Who “set leak” that turned out to be AI. In this case, some red flags have been raised: the most obvious is that the footage doesn’t show a bustling crew presence, and there’s been no official announcement that principal photography has started.
At the same time, people digging into the clip have reportedly run it through AI-detection tools with “promising” results. That’s not a definitive stamp of authenticity—AI detection is an arms race—but it’s part of why this leak hasn’t been dismissed outright.
There’s also the simplest argument in favor of it being real: the set design looks painfully specific. It’s not just “generic fantasy ruin.” It’s the particular FromSoftware flavor of ruin—composition, silhouette, and iconography—that reads as Elden Ring to anyone who’s spent dozens of hours riding through Limgrave.
Still, until A24 (or anyone officially tied to the production) confirms it, this remains in the “very plausible, not verified” category. Requests for confirmation have been made, but as of now there’s no public verification.
What the Set Might Tell Us About the Movie’s Story (And Why That’s a Big Deal)
Even if you accept the footage as real, the bigger question is what it means. A Church of Marika isn’t just a pretty landmark—it’s loaded with lore implications, and fans are already trying to reverse-engineer the film’s timeline from the state of the ruin.
One interpretation is that the church’s destroyed condition suggests the film takes place after The Shattering. That’s a meaningful hint because the adaptation’s story approach hasn’t been revealed: it could be a straight retelling of the game’s broad arc, a side story running parallel to it, or something more daring that uses the setting without trying to “adapt” the player’s journey beat-for-beat.
There’s also disagreement about which Church of Marika this is supposed to be. Some viewers think it resembles the Third Church of Marika, while others argue it doesn’t line up perfectly with any single in-game church. That mismatch has fueled even more speculation: maybe the film is depicting a church in a different state of repair, maybe it’s a new location created for the movie, or maybe it’s intentionally “close but not identical” to avoid being locked to a specific in-game geography.
And then there’s the prequel chatter. The film has been rumored in some circles to be a prequel of sorts, but nothing official has confirmed that. If the set truly looks post-ruin, that could cut against the idea of a cleaner, pre-Shattering Lands Between—though it doesn’t rule out a story that spans time, uses flashbacks, or simply chooses a different era than fans expect.
What’s undeniable is this: if Garland and A24 are building a Church of Marika practically, they’re signaling a commitment to tangible worldbuilding. That’s the kind of choice that can make a fantasy adaptation feel lived in rather than like actors standing in front of expensive screensavers.
The People Behind Elden Ring’s Movie: Garland, A24, FromSoftware, Bandai Namco
The film is a collaboration between A24, FromSoftware, and Bandai Namco with Alex Garland directing. Garland’s involvement has been one of the project’s biggest credibility boosters from day one—not just because of his filmography, but because he’s been positioned as a genuine fan of the game.
One of the most striking details to emerge about the project is that Garland reportedly wrote a 160-page script to convince the rights holders he should be the one to handle the adaptation, and that Hidetaka Miyazaki approved the movie after Garland traveled to Japan and presented his vision.
That’s not a guarantee the movie will land—nothing is, especially when you’re adapting a game whose magic is deeply tied to player discovery and atmosphere—but it does suggest this isn’t being treated like a cynical brand extension.
Casting is also still in that frustrating “maybe” zone. Industry reporting has said Ben Whishaw, Kit Connor, and Cailee Spaeny have been “in talks,” and there have also been claims that Whishaw and Spaeny have been cast in undisclosed roles. What hasn’t happened is the kind of official casting announcement that locks these names in stone.
And crucially: the Elden Ring movie still has no release date, and there hasn’t been an official statement confirming it has entered production. That’s why these alleged set leaks have hit so hard—fans are starving for anything concrete.
Why Fans Are So Hyped: Faithful Set Design Is the One Thing You Can’t Fake (Easily)
The reaction online has been loud and, surprisingly, optimistic. Across TikTok and Reddit, the dominant vibe isn’t dread—it’s excitement that the adaptation appears to be taking the game’s visual identity seriously.
One Reddit commenter summed up the mood well: they loved how “straight out of the game” the statue looked, while still worrying about whether any movie could do the game’s story justice—then immediately pivoting into confidence that Garland is the best possible choice to direct it. That’s the push-pull at the heart of this entire project: Elden Ring is beloved not because it tells a conventional story, but because it makes you earn understanding through exploration, item descriptions, and implication. Translating that into a two-hour(ish) narrative is a brutal challenge.
But production design? That’s the one area where you can win people over instantly. Show fans a Church of Marika that looks right—weathered stone, correct silhouette, the right kind of sacred ruin—and you’ve already cleared the first hurdle: proving you respect the source material’s tone.
There’s also a practical angle some have pointed out: filming in the UK (if that’s what’s happening here) could be a smart way to capture moody, windswept landscapes without needing to manufacture the entire atmosphere in post. Whether that’s actually the production’s strategy is unconfirmed, but the location fits the vibe.
What Remains Unknown
- Is the leaked footage real? There’s no official confirmation from A24 or the production team.
- Is this definitely a movie set? It could theoretically be for marketing, another production, or something else entirely.
- Has filming started? There’s still no official announcement of principal photography.
- What’s the plot and timeline? Post-Shattering is being inferred from the ruined look, but nothing has been confirmed.
- Who’s actually starring in it? Names like Ben Whishaw, Kit Connor, and Cailee Spaeny have been linked, but official casting details remain unclear.
- Release date and platforms (theatrical/streaming): No release window has been announced, and distribution details haven’t been confirmed.
If this really is Garland’s Elden Ring in the wild, it’s an encouraging sign: the adaptation may be betting on physical craft and faithful iconography rather than trying to “Hollywood-ize” The Lands Between into generic fantasy sludge. Now the ball’s in A24’s court—because once the internet has a Church of Marika on its timeline, it’s going to demand answers.
