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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.
The movie has some major star power behind it, as the studios have cast The Long Walk's Charlie Plummer, Adolescence's Stephen Graham, Hereditary's Toni Collette, The Last of Us' Isabela Merced, My Old Ass' Maisy Stella, and The Silence of the Lambs' Sir Anthony Hopkins.
The Imitation Game helmer Morten Tyldum is on board to direct, with Ilaria Bernardini and Hossein Amini penning the script from Steen's blog.
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.
For more, check out the best video game movies you should be watching, and keep up with upcoming movies heading your way.
