Get your level 60 Blood Elf Paladins ready; World of Warcraft, the biggest MMO vid game known to man, is finally coming to theaters.
More details on the project were revealed yesterday during BlizzCon 2007, the annual fan event hosted by Warcraft creator Blizzard Entertainment. Legendary Pictures bought the adaptation rights last year, and hope to turn the colossal fantasy world of Warcraft into a live-action battle movie of epic proportions similar to another Legendary project: 300.
IGN was on hand to relay what Blizzard CEO Chris Metzen and Legendary Pictures head Thomas Tull had to share. While no director or cast members have been chosen, the developers and studio have settled on a sort of origin story, rather than a Lord of the Rings-type adventure. From IGN: “The story will incorporate a series of major events from about one year before World of Warcraft, and will be principally told from the perspective of the Alliance.”
Uber-nerds may or may not like the bits shared on what characters we may expect to see on the big screen. According to IGN, “characters likely to make an appearance include Bolvar Fordragon, Thrall, and Cairne Bloodhoof. Arthas, a famous character from Warcraft 3, will more than likely not be in the film.”
As for a director, Tull (who executive-produced 300 and Superman Returns) said they’re looking for someone along the lines of a Zack Snyder or a Chris Nolan, both of whom have had recent hits (300 and Batman Begins, respectively) produced by Legendary Pictures.
In a post-panel interview with IGN, Blizzard Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams says they’re close to finding that director and also that members of WoW‘s cinematics team are working closely in the development process to give the film the same look and feel of the game.
With a budget over $100 million, the Warcraft movie is being positioned as a 2009 tentpole flick for Warner Bros., who owns Legendary. While Metzen and Tull didn’t identify a MPAA rating for the flick, it seems that a PG-13 rating is likely. The Warcraft The Movie blog adds Tull’s description of the film: “It’s absolutely a war movie. Cultures grinding up to a horrible moment where it just all spills over and gets out of control. Less of an adventure party quest-type situation. More of an armies building to an inevitable conclusion type situation.”
