Wolfwood
08-06-2007, 06:42 PM
World of Warcraft: The Movie in 2009
The fact that Legendary Pictures is working in conjunction with Blizzard on a WoW film is no secret. The devil's in the details, though, and just like with Blizzard's games, solid information on the nature of the film has been scarce. Until today, that is.
Representatives from both Blizzard and Legendary hosted a panel at Blizzcon this afternoon that focused on the film in which some of the biggest questions on our minds were answered. Blizzard's Vice President of Creative Development Chris Metzen and Legendary CEO Thomas Tull did most of the talking, and I can't think of anyone who could speak on the topic with more authority. Following are the facts.
The WoW film will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000,000USD to produce, so it doesn't look like they're going to be cutting any corners. Tull revealed that a script already exists, too, so there appears to be a context for its grand scope. The film is scheduled for 2009.
As of yet, no director has been attached to the project, and no actors have been cast. Fun fact: Mila Kunis (That 70s Show) was kicking it at the Blizzcon press room at the Anaheim Convention Center this afternoon. Is she simply a fellow WoW-head who was attending the festivities, or was she at the show for professional reasons as well? Whatever the case, I could definitely see her rocking some epic robes.
In the spirit of Peter Jackson's telling of The Lord of the Rings, the WoW film will be primarily live action, with CG flourishes bringing some of the mythology's more otherworldly elements to life.
Before you go and take those Hobbit analogies too far, though, it bears mention that Metzen was quite clear that the WoW film won't be a "quest movie." It's going to be a war film through and through, focusing squarely on the brutal conflict between the Horde and Alliance. And from the sounds of it, they're going to be shooting for a PG-13 rating.
Don't expect the film to focus on nobodies, either; Metzen mentioned that some of the biggest players in Warcraft lore will play crucial roles in the film. As far as the timeline goes, the film will be a sort of reimagined prequel to the events that kicked off World of Warcraft. Read into that what you will, but if you ask me, Metzen didn't bandy about names like "Jaina" and "Thrall" for no reason. As far as the supporting characters go, Metzen promised that they'd try to represent all the lore's races as equitably as possible.
To the (quite vocal) consternation of all the Horde players present at the panel, Metzen stated that the story will be told primarily from the perspective of the Alliance, the reasoning being that it's easier for America to get behind a set of protagonists if they aren't green-skinned, brutish, and toothy. He did assure us, however, that the same sort of moral ambiguity that informs the games will be present in the film.
Tull stated, in no uncertain terms, that if the first WoW film does well, then it will certainly spawn a suitable number of sequels. Your job: go see the WoW film. Legendary's job: make sure it doesn't suck. -- Miguel Lopez
Umm... for the horde?
Surprisingly, out of every game that is becomming a movie, i find this one is the easyest to picture ^^;
Might be a good time for anyone without WoW to buy it aswell before countless people who see the movie in 2009 invade the place quicker then the undead.
The fact that Legendary Pictures is working in conjunction with Blizzard on a WoW film is no secret. The devil's in the details, though, and just like with Blizzard's games, solid information on the nature of the film has been scarce. Until today, that is.
Representatives from both Blizzard and Legendary hosted a panel at Blizzcon this afternoon that focused on the film in which some of the biggest questions on our minds were answered. Blizzard's Vice President of Creative Development Chris Metzen and Legendary CEO Thomas Tull did most of the talking, and I can't think of anyone who could speak on the topic with more authority. Following are the facts.
The WoW film will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000,000USD to produce, so it doesn't look like they're going to be cutting any corners. Tull revealed that a script already exists, too, so there appears to be a context for its grand scope. The film is scheduled for 2009.
As of yet, no director has been attached to the project, and no actors have been cast. Fun fact: Mila Kunis (That 70s Show) was kicking it at the Blizzcon press room at the Anaheim Convention Center this afternoon. Is she simply a fellow WoW-head who was attending the festivities, or was she at the show for professional reasons as well? Whatever the case, I could definitely see her rocking some epic robes.
In the spirit of Peter Jackson's telling of The Lord of the Rings, the WoW film will be primarily live action, with CG flourishes bringing some of the mythology's more otherworldly elements to life.
Before you go and take those Hobbit analogies too far, though, it bears mention that Metzen was quite clear that the WoW film won't be a "quest movie." It's going to be a war film through and through, focusing squarely on the brutal conflict between the Horde and Alliance. And from the sounds of it, they're going to be shooting for a PG-13 rating.
Don't expect the film to focus on nobodies, either; Metzen mentioned that some of the biggest players in Warcraft lore will play crucial roles in the film. As far as the timeline goes, the film will be a sort of reimagined prequel to the events that kicked off World of Warcraft. Read into that what you will, but if you ask me, Metzen didn't bandy about names like "Jaina" and "Thrall" for no reason. As far as the supporting characters go, Metzen promised that they'd try to represent all the lore's races as equitably as possible.
To the (quite vocal) consternation of all the Horde players present at the panel, Metzen stated that the story will be told primarily from the perspective of the Alliance, the reasoning being that it's easier for America to get behind a set of protagonists if they aren't green-skinned, brutish, and toothy. He did assure us, however, that the same sort of moral ambiguity that informs the games will be present in the film.
Tull stated, in no uncertain terms, that if the first WoW film does well, then it will certainly spawn a suitable number of sequels. Your job: go see the WoW film. Legendary's job: make sure it doesn't suck. -- Miguel Lopez
Umm... for the horde?
Surprisingly, out of every game that is becomming a movie, i find this one is the easyest to picture ^^;
Might be a good time for anyone without WoW to buy it aswell before countless people who see the movie in 2009 invade the place quicker then the undead.