Live-action Final Fantasy XIV series canceled due to ‘size and scale’

If you thought the idea of a live-action Final Fantasy XIV series sounded like a massive undertaking, you’d be right. One of the executive producers, Dinesh Shamdasani of Hivemind Entertainment, recently confirmed that the project has been canceled. 

When asked about the status of the live-action Final Fantasy XIV on Twitter, Shamdasani straight up said it’s “dead.” While they had a “fantastic pilot script” by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton (Winter’s Knight) and a multi-season plan, everything was rejected. According to Shamdasani, it was the risk inherent to the “size and scale” of the project that ultimately did it in. Apparently, Amazon came the closest to footing the bill for this one. 

Writer Jake Thornton chimed in, as well, citing Covid as one of the culprits behind the decision. “We took it out just as studios began to zip up their purse strings,” Thornton added. 

As for whether or not animation would be more suitable for something like Final Fantasy XIV, Shamdasani was quick to put an end to any further hope for the series, at least for now. Not only did he say that animation would be more difficult, he mentioned that they no longer have the rights to the title. 

Eorzea out of sight

Plans for the live-action Final Fantasy XIV were first revealed back in 2019, and had Square Enix teaming up with Sony Pictures Television and Hivemind. The initial announcement promised a new story set in Eorzea along with series mainstays like Chocobos, airships, and even the “live-action debut of Cid.”

Hivemind previously worked with Netflix on The Witcher and with Amazon on The Expanse, so the experience and potential was there. For the time being, at least we’ll always have Dad of Light.