Back in 2019, a live-action version of Final Fantasy 14 is in the works, announced as a collaboration between Sony Pictures Television and Hivemind (responsible for Netflix's The Witcher series), a natural seemed like a natural combination.

Unfortunately, according to Hivemind co-founder Dinesh Shamdasani's Twitter feed, this particular project has gone down the drain. When asked for an update on the project, he replied, "It's dead." He continued:

"I brought in a great pilot script by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton and the multi-season plan they built with the show runners, but it was rejected across the board. The size and scale needed to do it right proved that no one was willing to take the risk. Amazon was the closest."

The project's screenwriter, Jake Thornton, also stated of the project's failure, "Unfortunately, it was a real result of the covid. Just as the studios were starting to loosen the purse strings, we took it off."

In other words, no live-action Chocobo, no Sid Garlondo and his glorious white hair, no revolutionary catboy SFX... A touch of disappointment that I wish I could share the world I have come to appreciate without forcing a 200-hour (very good) RPG story on anyone. I feel a bit of disappointment. But I can't help but wonder if this is all for the best.

The Witcher's Netflix series did well, but The Witcher is far more grounded as a setting. Its monsters, environments, and special effects are allowed to be understated and unobtrusive. Most of the cast of Final Fantasy 14, on the other hand, requires a certain amount of finesse, including practical costumes and special effects.

That says nothing about the setting itself. Galean war machines, crystals the size of skyscrapers, ancient ruins, primitives, Tataru ...... All of these would take a great deal of effort to handle from a production standpoint. As a result, they run the risk of becoming creepy. I mean, imagine a live-action Lalafell. It could be a nightmarish production.

[14] "FF14" would be more suited to an anime or 3D film adaptation. In the style of "Dressed Souvenirs" or "Arcane." That way, it would be easier to stay close to the charm of "FF14", completely avoiding the risk of a cosplay-like atmosphere. Besides, we've all seen live-action Estinien. I just don't know if it would work.