Vendome Pictures and Pathe have announced the cast for the drama Ibelin, based on the true story of Norwegian gamer Mats Steen, known in World of Warcraft as Ibelin Redmoore. The film will star Charlie Plummer (\"Lean on Pete\"), Stephen Graham (\"This Is England\"), Toni Collette (\"Mickey 17\"), Isabela Merced (\"The Last of Us\"), Maisy Stella (\"My Old Ass\"), and Anthony Hopkins (\"The Silence of the Lambs\"). The director is Morten Tyldum, an Oscar nominee for \"The Imitation Game.\"
The film tells the story of a young man suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy who finds meaning and friends in the virtual world of Warcraft. After his death in 2014, his family learned that he was not the lonely disabled person they thought he was, but became the heart and soul of a large online community.
The project is inspired by Steen's personal blog, Musings of Life, where he shared his experiences, notes about the game, and relationships with guild members. Filming is scheduled to begin in Europe in the spring or summer of 2026. The producers are Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, and Jerome Seydoux, who previously worked on \"CODA.\" The script was written by Ilaria Bernardini and Hossein Amini, who were nominated for BAFTA and Oscar awards.
This is not the first adaptation of Steen's story: it was previously the basis for the documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, which received Emmy and Peabody nominations. The film was released on Netflix in 2024 and became one of the sensations of the Sundance Film Festival.
The release date of the new film has not yet been announced.