The emotional story of World of Warcraft gamer Ibelin is being turned into a movie with Adolescence, The Long Walk, and The Last of Us stars attached

(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

A new movie is on the way based on the life of Norwegian World of Warcraft gamer Mats Steenis, better known as Ibelin, with some major stars attached.

Vendôme Pictures and Pathé have partnered up to make the feature film, titled Ibelin, which will tell the real story behind Steen, a young man battling with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who spent most of his days playing video games, and made a name for himself amongst the World of Warcraft fanbase as his alter ego, Ibelin Redmoore.

As well as the official cast list, the studios shared the film's synopsis, which reads, "In the vast digital realm, Ibelin was admired by thousands for his humor, kindness, and courage. Behind the screen, Mats was just the same, except for one thing: he lived with a degenerative muscular disease that slowly took away his body, but never his spirit. At home, his loving, funny, slightly chaotic family feared he was withdrawing from the world."

"But Mats proved them wrong; he wasn’t escaping life. He was redefining it. Ibelin is a celebration of life, tender, funny, and profoundly moving; a heartfelt family story intertwined with an epic adventure that explores the power of friendship and the invisible threads that connect us all."

This is not the first time that Steen's life story has been brought to the screen. In 2024, a Norwegian documentary titled The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, directed by Benjamin Ree. The documentary includes home movies from throughout Steen's life, chats from Steen's World of Warcraft guild, and excerpts from Steen's blog, Musings of Life. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2024, where it won two awards.

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.

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