In the Lost Lands

{{Short description|2025 epic dark fantasy film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson}}

{{Infobox film

| image = In the Lost Lands.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Paul W. S. Anderson

| screenplay = Constantin Werner

| story = {{Plainlist|

Paul W. S. Anderson
Constantin Werner

}}

| based_on = {{Based on|"In the Lost Lands"|George R. R. Martin}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Jeremy Bolt
Paul W. S. Anderson
Milla Jovovich
Dave Bautista
Constantin Werner
Jonathan Meisner
Robert Kulzer

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

Dave Bautista
Milla Jovovich
Arly Jover

}}

| cinematography = Glen MacPherson

| editing = Niven Howie

| music = Paul Haslinger

| studio = {{Plainlist|

Constantin Film
Spark Productions
FilmNation Entertainment
Dream Bros. Entertainment
Rusalka Film

}}

| distributor = {{Plainlist|

Vertical (United States)
Constantin Film Verleih (Germany)

}}

| released = {{Film date|2025|2|27|Australia|2025|3|7|United States}}

| runtime = 101 minutes{{Cite web |last= |title=In the Lost Lands |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/in-the-lost-lands-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi4mdmy |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=British Board of Film Classification |language=en}}

| country = {{Plainlist|

Germany
Canada
United States{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/in-the-lost-lands-review-dave-bautista-milla-jovovich-1236326809/|work=Variety|title='In the Lost Lands' Review: Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich Take a Dystopian-Future Road Trip|accessdate=May 30, 2025|last=Harvey|first=Dennis|date=March 6, 2025}}

}}

| language = English

| budget = $55{{nbsp}}million{{cite web |title='In The Lost Lands', With Milla Jovovich, Sells Out For FilmNation |url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/milla-jovovich-dave-bautista-lost-lands-deals-filmnation-efm-1234711606/|date=March 10, 2021|access-date=March 3, 2025}}

| gross = $6.1 million{{Cite web |title=In the Lost Lands – Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/In-the-Lost-Lands-(2025)#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |access-date=April 19, 2025}}{{Cite web |title=In the Lost Lands |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl4246241281/?ref_=bo_da_table_9 |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 13, 2025}}

}}

In the Lost Lands is a 2025 action fantasy film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, with a screenplay by Constantin Werner from a story they both co-wrote.{{Cite web |title=In the Lost Lands |url=https://directories.wga.org/project/1235712/in-the-lost-lands/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=directories.wga.org}} Based on the short story of the same name by George RR Martin, the film stars Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista as a witch and a hunter, respectively, who journey into a dangerous landscape to find an artifact for a queen.{{cite web |date=February 25, 2021 |title=Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista to Lead "In The Lost Lands" Movie Based on George R.R. Martin Story |url=https://collider.com/in-the-lost-lands-movie-cast-milla-jovovich-dave-bautista/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Collider}}{{Cite web |title=In the Lost Lands |url=https://www.crew-united.com/en/In-the-Lost-Lands__314027.html}}

In the Lost Lands was first released in Australia on February 27, 2025, and was released in the United States on March 7, 2025, by Vertical in North American territories, and by Constantin Film Verleih in Germany.

Plot

A man named Boyce directly addresses the viewer, warning them that what they're about to see is not a happy fairytale. Earth has become a uncivilized, dystopian wasteland called the Lost Lands. In a society ruled by Overlord, order is forcibly maintained by the Church. Gray Alys, a witch, is being executed by hanging under the orders of The Enforcer and her followers from the Church. Gray Alys uses her powers to trick a man into helping her escape, but The Enforcer kills him for it and leads a group of men in pursuit of Alys.

Boyce is alone and unscarred in the Lost Lands, he walks through a tunnel and anticipates an ambush. He uses a two-headed snake as a weapon before shooting the remaining enemies and continuing his journey. Gray Alys finds refuge with a blind old woman. The Queen, wife of The Overlord, and the head of the Overwatch, Jerais, visit her. The Queen seeks Gray Alys' assistance, invoking a pre-existing agreement that Alys does not refuse requests from anyone. The Queen needs a werewolf's power by next week's full moon; Gray Alys is tasked with killing the beast and bringing its power to the Queen. Jerais secretly sabotages the Queen's endeavor, believing its failure is ultimately in her best interest. Gray Alys uses her powers to find a shapeshifter by entering its mind.

The Queen hates the ailing Overlord, who is on the verge of death. Alys seeks out Boyce in a pub to enlist his help in finding a shapeshifter. The creature is known as Sardor, meaning "Grey Wolf". The Enforcer is working with The Patriarch, who is secretly plotting to overthrow The Overlord and the Queen, despite serving The Overlord. The Patriarch orders The Enforcer and acolytes to capture Gray Alys, extract a confession, and then execute her.

Gray Alys and Boyce began their expedition into the Lost Lands, where Boyce encounters his old friends Ross and Mara. Boyce and Mara have sex before Boyce continues his quest with Gray Alys. The Enforcer captures and tortures Ross and Mara, seeking information on Gray Alys and Boyce. The group was supposed to go to Skull River, but they murder Ross and kidnap Mara instead.

Boyce and his friend search for Cyrus, but discover he has been hanged by the Church. Boyce and Gray Alys locate The Enforcer and her goons, but they've shielded their eyes to block Gray Alys' powers. The Enforcer kills Mara to further torment Boyce. He and Gray Alys are attacked, leading to a gunfight and a chase to an air tram where most of the goons are thrown to their deaths. The Enforcer orders the cable cut, but Boyce saves Gray Alys from falling. The Enforcer shoots Boyce, but Gray Alys uses her powers through a sniper lens to save him and escape.

Gray Alys and Boyce face ghoul-like monsters while traveling. Trapped in a ring of fire for protection, the group faces a monster leader who knows Gray Alys and disapproves of her return. She uses illusion magic to make the monsters believe that they are on fire. She warns Boyce that she's dangerous and untrustworthy.

The Queen kills The Overlord, disclosing she's carrying Boyce's baby. The Patriarch announces the Overlord's death but secretly continues plotting The Queen's assassination. The Enforcer attacks Gray Alys on a train with her goons. She escapes through the tunnels and heads towards the end of the broken train tracks, which are high up. Gray Alys is rescued by Boyce, but The Enforcer and her crew die when the train crashes and explodes. Jerais kills the Patriarch to protect the Queen and then begins an affair with her.

Under the light of the full moon, Gray Alys and Boyce reach Skull River. Boyce is revealed to be the shapeshifter impersonating Sardor. Under the moonlight, he turns into a wolf. Gray Alys defeats Boyce using silver claws, rendering him unable to continue. Boyce is back to human, but Gray Alys admits she knew he was a shapeshifter and poisoned him with silver. Gray Alys kills Boyce under the light of the moon, skins the body, and then buries the remains.

Gray Alys brings Boyce's pelt to The Queen. Jerais claims Alys failed him, but The Queen retorts that Alys gave him what he truly desired to her. After The Queen learns Boyce is a shapeshifter, and enraged that Jerais knew about it, she kills him. The Lost Lands are in rebellion after the Overlord's death and the Church's fall. The Queen flees as Boyce's fur burns under the sun. Boyce rises from his grave, resurrected, and seeks out Gray Alys with the intention of killing her. She believed in his return from the dead as strongly as she believed in the coming rebellion. Boyce and Gray Alys team up to survive and hunt in the Lost Lands.

Cast

{{castlist|

Dave Bautista as Boyce
Milla Jovovich as Gray Alys
Arly Jover as Ash
Amara Okereke as Melange
Fraser James as Patriarch Johan
Simon Lööf as Jerais
Deirdre Mullins as Mara
Sebastian Stankiewicz as Ross
Jacek Dzisiewicz as "Overlord"
Tue Lunding as "The Hammer"
Ian Hanmore as The Stranger
Eveline Hall as Old Homeless Woman
Kamila Klamut as Midwife
Caoilinn Springall as Young Girl
Pawel Wysocki as The Gambler
Jan Kowalewski as Young Monk
Tomasz Cymerman as Outrider
Nicolas Stone as Kane

}}

Production

=Development=

In February 2015, it was announced that German producer Constantin Werner had purchased the rights to three George R. R. Martin short stories:{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=George |date=2015 |title=Three Tales, Three Women, One Film |url=https://grrm.livejournal.com/405801.html}} "The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr", "In the Lost Lands", and "Bitterblooms". Werner planned to adapt all three stories into a single film with Milla Jovovich playing Gray Alys, and Justin Chatwin playing Boyce. This version of the film never eventuated and the project entered limbo.

In 2021, the film re-emerged with Paul W. S. Anderson as director, Jovovich's husband who collaborated on the Resident Evil film series, The Three Musketeers (2011), and Monster Hunter (2020). Dave Bautista replaced Chatwin as Boyce, while Werner served as co-writer and producer.{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl-OLIYLidX/?hl=en&img_index=1 |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=www.instagram.com}} According to Werner, the film was planned to begin filming in late 2021 or early 2022, but was delayed to late 2022.{{Cite web |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |date=2021-02-25 |title='Resident Evil' Duo Paul W. S. Anderson & Milla Jovovich Team With Dave Bautista For George R. R. Martin Adaptation 'In The Lost Lands' — EFM |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/resident-evil-paul-ws-anderson-milla-jovovich-dave-bautista-george-rr-martin-lost-lands-movie-1234700894/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} In an August 2022 interview prior to filming, Anderson described the film as a "Western", saying:

{{quote|At its heart, it's very much a western as it has all the iconography that one would associate with a western. It's set in a post-apocalyptic land, so on the surface it's not a western, but at its heart it is most definitely a western. It deals with a lot of western tropes and storytelling and imagery, so I am very excited to be doing that.{{Cite web |title=INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR PAUL W.S. ANDERSON ON "EVENT HORIZON" - Cinema Retro |url=https://cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/11878-INTERVIEW-WITH-DIRECTOR-PAUL-W.S.-ANDERSON-ON-EVENT-HORIZON.html |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=cinemaretro.com}}}}

=Filming=

Principal photography began 14 November 2022 at Alvernia Studios in Poland.{{Cite web |last=Balaga |first=Marta |date=2024-05-16 |title=Poland Welcomes More International Film Shoots, From 'In the Lost Lands' to 'The Girl With the Needle': 'We Can Do It' |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/focus/poland-location-1235990440/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=2022-08-09 |title='Event Horizon' at 25: Paul W. S. Anderson Recalls Paramount Fearing His Horror Film Slandered 'Star Trek' |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/event-horizon-explained-paul-ws-anderson-anniversary-1235336634/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} Photography wrapped in February 2023, after 46 days.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-09 |title=George R. R. Martin's In the Lost Lands wraps filming with Milla Jovovich |url=https://winteriscoming.net/2023/02/09/george-rr-martins-in-the-lost-lands-wraps-filming-milla-jovovich/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=Winter is Coming |language=en-US}}

=Visual effects=

The visual effects were provided by Herne Hill Media, which had previously worked on Anderson's Resident Evil films and Monster Hunter.{{Cite web |title=Dennis Berardi |url=https://hernehill.com/team/dennis-berardi/#projects |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Herne Hill Media |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Brandon Schaafsma |url=https://hernehill.com/team/brandon-schaafsma/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=Herne Hill Media |language=en-US}}

=Post-production=

In February 2023, R. R. Martin indicated on Twitter that filming had concluded in Poland and was undergoing extensive post-production.{{Cite web |last=Lealos |first=Shawn S. |date=2023-09-01 |title=In The Lost Lands: Everything We Know About The George R.R. Martin Adaptation |url=https://screenrant.com/in-the-lost-lands-george-rr-martin-movie-cast-release-date-story-everything-we-know/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}

Release

In September 2024, Vertical acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the film.{{cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |title=Vertical Acquires Paul W. S. Anderson's Fantasy Actioner 'In The Lost Lands' Starring Milla Jovovich & Dave Bautista |url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/dave-bautista-movie-in-the-lost-lands-acquired-vertical-1236093077/ |website=Deadline |date=19 September 2024 |access-date=21 September 2024}} In November 2024, Martin revealed the film's American release date as February 28, 2025.{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=George |title=In the Lost Lands |url=https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2024/11/19/in-the-lost-lands/ |website=Notablog |access-date=November 21, 2024}} In January 8, 2025, the film was delayed to March 7 the same year.

The German release date for In the Lost Lands was initially set for September 26, 2024, before being replaced on Constantin Film's slate by Megalopolis.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-14 |title=UPDATE: "Megalopolis" vorgezogen |url=https://spot-mediafilm.com/news/kinonews/megalopolis-startet-am-7-november-in-deutschland/ |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=SPOT media & film |language=de-DE}}

Reception

=Box office=

In the Lost Lands grossed $1.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $4.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $6.1 million.

In its opening weekend, the film made $1.1{{nbsp}}million from 1,370 theaters.{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2025W10/|title=Domestic 2025 Weekend 10|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=March 12, 2025}}

=Critical response=

{{RT prose|25|4|69|Squandering George R.R. Martin's source material on an incomprehensible eyesore, Paul W.S. Anderson's In the Lost Lands could use its own map out of the wilderness.|ref=y|access-date=April 19, 2025}} {{Metacritic film prose|41|17|ref=yes |access-date=April 5, 2025}}