The animated film adaptation of Bloodborne has made significant progress, with a writer and director now attached to the project, according to producer Seán "Jacksepticeye" McLoughlin. Speaking in an exclusive interview with IGN, McLoughlin confirmed that the film is "much more along the pipeline" than previously announced.
It has been over six months since the Bloodborne animated movie was first revealed, at which point no writer or director had been confirmed. McLoughlin stated that while he desires to share more details, the team is deliberately withholding information to maintain anticipation. He indicated that the story has been extensively mapped out and that the necessary personnel are in place to bring the project to fruition. "Hopefully sooner than later, we can have announcements where we talk about who's involved and where it's going," he added.
McLoughlin expressed pride in his work on the film, describing the role as both enjoyable and stressful due to the magnitude of the Bloodborne intellectual property. His aim is to ensure the adaptation is "pinprick perfect," acknowledging the inherent difficulty in meeting all fan expectations. "We're poised to have something really cool," he said.
While the identities of the writer and director remain undisclosed, potential opportunities for reveals include The Game Awards in December or other gaming events next year. McLoughlin highlighted the unique advantages of an animated format for Bloodborne's otherworldly elements, contrasting it with the challenges of adapting Elden Ring into a live-action movie, which he noted would require a substantially larger budget and might struggle to capture the game's essence compared to animation.
McLoughlin also commented on the upcoming Elden Ring film, suggesting that while lessons might be drawn from its release, the distinct narrative styles and settings of Bloodborne and Elden Ring mean direct influence may be limited. He emphasized the importance of adapting properties only when there is a compelling story to tell that expands upon the existing universe, rather than simply retelling the game's plot. He cited the Fallout and recent Resident Evil series as examples of successful adaptations that shift the perspective while remaining true to the world.
"I don't want to adapt something if we're just going to tell the same stories with the same characters over and over and over again," McLoughlin stated. "Movies are a completely different medium than video games. What do movies do better than a game does? It's passive versus interactive, so how do we push and pull with that and play with different ideas?" He also mentioned a past attempt to adapt SOMA, reinforcing his philosophy of seeking novel narrative avenues within established IPs.