While a film League of Legends was in the works, Riot Games had to pay the makers $5 million so they wouldn't make it in the end.
The universe of League of Legends has already made an impression on Netflix with Arcanean animated series developed by the Fortiche studio, which has won over both fans of the game and newbies. A real critical and public success of the year 2021, Arcane established itself as an ambitious, careful production, but also extremely expensive. For 18 episodes spread over two seasons, the animated series cost a whopping $250 millionbecoming the most expensive series on the platform.
A huge sum, which is due as much to the studio's desire for excellence as to a succession of problems at Riot Games. This financial bet paid off, since the series quickly gained pride of place on the red N platform, becoming one of the most watched in its catalog.
Even before Arcane is broadcast, sure of the success of the series, the idea of a cinematographic adaptation of League of Legends was germinating in the minds of Riot Games. The firm had even contacted a duo of very prominent directors. But the project fell through, and cost Riot an astronomical sum to keep the film from being made.
League Of Legends: whoever doesn't direct, still gets paid
The information was revealed by Variety in an article published on November 6, 2024: in 2020, one year before the broadcast ofArcaneand while the series was already four years in the making, Riot Games hired the Russo brothers, after they had just canned Avengers: Infinity War et Avengers: Endgame, so that they can make an adaptation of the game League of Legends.
It is not specified whether it was to be a film live-actionan animated film or a CGI creation, but everything leads us to believe that it was a film with flesh and blood actors. The mere mention of the name of the Russo brothers suggests that this film League of Legends must have been a very big budget project.
Riot and the Russos had agreed on a project, but along the way, Riot changed its mind and announced that said project was going to be revamped. Except that the Russos had signed a contract stipulating that in the event of a creative disagreement with their employers, they could leave, and still receive their salary, or failing that, a nice compensation package. That's exactly what happened, and the Russos slammed the door, while still pocketing the sum of 5 million dollars, for not having made the film.
Nothing clarifies what creative turnaround was the cause of the departure of the Russo brothers. Was the approach advocated by the two brothers, accustomed to the budgets and methods of Hollywood blockbusters, which ended up scaring the Riot studio? Or did Riot choose to shake up the very concept of this adaptation, which would have scared away the Russos?
The Russo brothers' defection also raises questions about the future of League of Legends as a transmedia franchise. Arcane was able to find its audience, but the series was reduced to two seasons (instead of five). A priori, an animated film League of Legends would have been entrusted to Christian Linke, co-creator ofArcanebut Riot has not communicated on the subject for months. This artistic blur is necessarily worrying.
As for the final season ofArcaneit will be broadcast on Netflix in three parts of three episodes: November 9, 16 and 23, 2024. Riot has confirmed that it will never have a sequel.
