Warcraft (film)

Last updated

Warcraft
Warcraft Teaser Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Duncan Jones
Written by
Based on Warcraft
by Blizzard Entertainment [lower-alpha 1]
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Simon Duggan
Edited by Paul Hirsch
Music by Ramin Djawadi
Production
companies
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • May 24, 2016 (2016-05-24)(Le Grand Rex)
  • June 10, 2016 (2016-06-10)(United States)
Running time
123 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$160 million [2]
Box office$439.1 million [3]

Warcraft (alternatively known as Warcraft: The Beginning) [4] is a 2016 American action fantasy film based on the video game series of the same name. Directed by Duncan Jones, who co-wrote with Charles Leavitt, it stars Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, and Daniel Wu. The film follows Anduin Lothar of Stormwind and Durotan of the Frostwolf clan as heroes set on opposite sides of a growing war, as the warlock Gul'dan leads the Horde to invade Azeroth using a magic portal. Together, a few human heroes and dissenting Orcs must attempt to stop the true evil behind this war and restore peace.

Contents

The film was first announced in 2006 as a project partnership between Legendary Pictures and the game's developer, Blizzard Entertainment. [5] Warcraft premiered in Paris on May 24, 2016, and was released by Universal Pictures in the United States on June 10, 2016. [6] The film grossed $47.4 million in the United States [7] and $439 million worldwide based on its considerable success in China, where it grossed $225.5 million, becoming the highest-grossing film based on a video game at the time. However, it failed to reach its break-even point of $450-500 million after global marketing and distribution, and received generally negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Draenor, homeworld to the orcs, is being torn apart by a force known as fel magic. Orc warlock Gul'dan unites the orc clans into the Horde, and creates a portal to another world, Azeroth, by using fel magic to drain the life out of captive draenei. Gul'dan leads a small warband through the portal to capture and sacrifice prisoners on Azeroth to bring the Horde. Durotan, chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan, his pregnant mate Draka, and his friend Orgrim Doomhammer join this initial warband. On Azeroth, Draka goes into labor, and Gul'dan rescues Go'el, the dying baby, by draining the life out of a deer to revive and infuse him with fel magic. The orcs raid settlements throughout Azeroth. Anduin Lothar, commander of the human forces of Stormwind Kingdom, finds trespassing mage Khadgar investigating the bodies of the slain men. Khadgar notices the bodies contain traces of fel magic. Stormwind's king, Llane Wrynn, sends them to the stronghold Karazhan to inform Medivh, the Guardian of Tirisfal, of the fel magic's presence on Azeroth.

Lothar, Khadgar, and Medivh join a scouting team following traces of fel magic, but are ambushed by orcs. Medivh uses a spell to kill the fel-corrupted orcs, leaving the Horde's warchief, Blackhand, to flee along with Durotan and Orgrim. The team takes a half-orc slave, Garona, as prisoner, but Llane releases her in exchange for loyalty to Stormwind. Garona leads the humans to spy on the orc camp, where they learn of Gul'dan's plan to bring the Horde to Azeroth. While studying a book found in Medivh's library, Khadgar realizes that Gul'dan had help from someone in Azeroth opening the portal. Despite Orgrim's objections, Durotan meets with Llane secretly to unite the Frostwolf Clan and the humans against Gul'dan, but the group is ambushed by Blackhand. Medivh forms a magical barrier to protect the humans' retreat, but Lothar's son Callan is separated from the group and killed by Blackhand. Medivh is weakened, and Garona and Khadgar take him back to Karazhan to recover. Khadgar eventually realizes that Medivh is the one who helped Gul'dan, having been corrupted by fel magic. At the orc camp, Blackhand purges the Frostwolf Clan. Orgrim helps Draka to escape. After sending Go'el down a river in a basket, Draka is found and killed.

Durotan challenges Gul'dan to Mak'gora, a duel to the death for leadership of the orcs. During the fight, Gul'dan violates the honorable combat rules by draining the life out of Durotan with magic, killing him and earning the disapproval of the orcs watching. He then empowers Blackhand with the same magic. Medivh, now in a half-demonic state, starts to open the portal to Draenor, and Gul'dan begins sacrificing the captured humans to allow the rest of the Horde to enter Azeroth. Llane leads the human army in an assault on the orc camp, while Lothar and Khadgar fight Medivh and destroy the demon that began to manifest on the outside. Medivh is mortally wounded, and uses the last of his strength to close the portal to Draenor. He then opens a portal to Stormwind, allowing Llane to evacuate most of the freed prisoners. Medivh dies and the portal closes, leaving Llane, Garona, and a small number of human soldiers to fight the orcs. Llane secretly orders Garona to kill him, bringing her honor among the orcs and putting her in a position of power to bring peace between the two races. Garona reluctantly does so and is welcomed into the Horde by Gul'dan. Lothar arrives to retrieve King Llane's body, but is confronted by Blackhand, who challenges Lothar to Mak'gora, with Lothar defeating and killing him, avenging Callan's death. Against Gul'dan's demands, the orcs, bound by tradition, allow Lothar to depart with Llane's body.

During Llane's funeral, the leaders of the other human nations, along with the high elves and dwarves, proclaim an alliance against the orcs and support Lothar as the leader of the Alliance. Elsewhere, Orgrim takes one of Durotan's tusks to one day give to Go'el. The basket containing Go'el is found by a human.

Cast

In addition, Terry Notary provides the voice and motion-capture for Grommash Hellscream, the orc chieftain of the Warsong Clan, though the part is listed in the credits as Peon. Notary also served as stunt coordinator and movement coach for the film, working with cast members Kebbell, Kazinsky, Brown, Wu and Galvin on their portrayals of the orcs, and with Foster on his portrayals of magic. [11] Michael Adamthwaite appears as King Magni Bronzebeard, the dwarf ruler of Ironforge.

Glenn Close makes an uncredited appearance as Alodi, an ancient mage locked in an artifact within Dalaran, described as "the Guardian before there was a Guardian". [12] [13] In the comics, Alodi was the first Guardian of Tirisfal and a male half-elf, while the character in the film is closer to that of Aegwynn, Medivh's mother. Chris Metzen, who served as a co-producer and uncredited story writer for the film, and is the Senior Vice-President of Story and Franchise Development at Blizzard Entertainment and the voice of Thrall in the Warcraft franchise, makes an uncredited cameo appearance as a turbaned perfume vendor on the streets of Stormwind Kingdom. [14]

Production

Development and pre-production

The project was officially announced in May 2006 [5] with Blizzard initially wanting it to be set in the universe of the real-time strategy Warcraft: Orcs and Humans video game from 1994. This setting was later dropped because Blizzard decided that it would be too similar to The Lord of the Rings. [15] Initially scheduled for a 2009 release, the film would not see a release in that year. [16] By Comic-Con 2011, the film was announced to still only be in the development stage. [17]

The cast of Warcraft at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con to promote the film. SDCC 2015 - Warcraft panel (19708584916).jpg
The cast of Warcraft at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con to promote the film.

Uwe Boll made a bid to direct, but was turned away by Blizzard, who he claims to have said, "We will not sell the movie rights, not to you… especially not to you. Because it's such a big online game success, maybe a bad movie would destroy that ongoing income, what the company has with it." [18] Sam Raimi was initially attached to direct, [19] [20] but was replaced by Duncan Jones in January 2013. [21] Upon coming aboard, Jones immediately voiced his displeasure at the script, which he stated "was the stale fantasy trope of, humans are the good guys, monsters are the bad guys". With Blizzard's approval (who had also been looking to change the story), Jones altered the story so that "It's 50-50." [22] Jones also faced personal struggles during filming, as his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer soon after Jones took over, and his father, David Bowie, died from cancer late in production. Jones thus summed up the challenge by telling The New York Times, "My film started and ended with cancer." [22] At San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2013, a concept trailer was presented, featuring a battle between a human and an orc. [23]

Paul Dano, Travis Fimmel, Anson Mount, and Anton Yelchin emerged as the frontrunners for the lead role, with Fimmel winning the role in October 2013. [24] [25] On December 4, 2013, the main cast of the film, consisting of Fimmel, Ben Foster, Paula Patton, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell and Robert Kazinsky, was announced. Idina Menzel, Debbie Gibson, Julie Delpy, Alison Eastwood and Leighton Meester were also considered for the role of Garona Halforcen. On December 14, 2013, Universal added Daniel Wu and Clancy Brown to the cast. [26] In early March 2014, newcomer Burkely Duffield joined the cast. [27]

Filming

Principal photography began on January 13, 2014, and lasted for four months, finishing on May 23, 2014. [28] [29] Filming took place primarily in Vancouver, among other locations. [30] [31] Post-production lasted twenty months. [32] Regarding the use of computer-generated imagery, Jones said, "It's a tool like any other. It can be done well and it can be done shit. The best CGI has you forgetting [that] it's CGI, and accepting the visual as whatever it is supposed to be—like props. No one has an issue with props in film, do they?" [33] Cinematographer Simon Duggan stated the film had a long prep of about 12 weeks, in addition to the 18 weeks of shooting. [34]

Music

Warcraft: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack. [35] This music was composed by Ramin Djawadi and released on June 10, 2016. [36] Djawadi was hired by Jones and Legendary Pictures in October 2014. [35] The vinyl version of the soundtrack was released on September 5, 2016. [37]

Release

Theatrical

Warcraft was set to be released on December 18, 2015, but following the announcement of the coinciding release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens , the release was pushed back to the following year. [6] The film premiered at the Le Grand Rex in Paris on May 24, 2016. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2016, [38] in the United States on June 10, 2016 [6] and in Australia on June 16, 2016. [39]

Home media

Warcraft was released on digital download on September 13, 2016, [40] and was released on Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and DVD on September 27 in the United States and Canada. [41] Select editions of the physical release include a digital copy of World of Warcraft along with digital bonus codes for other Blizzard games to tie-in with the film. [42]

Reception

Box office

Warcraft grossed $47.4 million in the United States, and $391.7 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $439 million. [3] Given its $160 million production budget and additional $110 million spent on promotions, the film needed to earn $450–500 million in order to break-even. [43] [44] [45] In July 2016, The Hollywood Reporter said the film lost the studio around $15 million, although noted several executives put the losses in the $30–40 million range. [46] Worldwide, it became the highest-grossing film based on a video game. [47] It was the first video game film to cross $400 million in ticket sales globally, [48] and was also only the second Hollywood release (after Terminator Genisys ) to earn $100 million in China without making $100 million in the United States. [49]

In the United States and Canada, Warcraft opened on June 10, 2016, alongside The Conjuring 2 and Now You See Me 2 , and was projected to gross around $25 million in its opening weekend. [50] [51] [52] Variety reported that the film was generating only moderate interest among U.S. moviegoers, which could possibly hurt its box office performance stateside, with poor reviews and competition from the aforementioned films and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (released the week prior) also affecting its performance. [53] The film grossed $3.1 million from 2,632 theaters in its Thursday night previews and $10.7 million on its first day. [54] [45] It went on to gross $24.2 million, finishing second at the box office behind The Conjuring 2 ($40.1 million). [55] It fell by 70% on its second weekend, earning $7.2 million. [56]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 29% based on 232 reviews with an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Warcraft has visual thrills to spare, but they – and director Duncan Jones' distinctive gifts – are wasted on a sluggish and derivative adaptation of a bestselling game with little evident cinematic value." [57] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 32 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [58] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [45]

Geoff Berkshire of Variety criticized the film's attempts at adapting a source material with "inherent ridiculousness" with regard to how the original game series was not meant to have a very deep narrative: "[I]t's an unwaveringly earnest film that never owns up to exactly how campy every character, every conflict and every new realm truly is." [59] A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club wrote that, "To watch Warcraft is never to be transported, but to wade through a thick morass of mythology, exposition, gaudy light-show effects, half-assed character development, and formulaic franchise groundwork," while describing director/cowriter Duncan Jones as "a talented sci-fi fabulist who's fallen screaming into the same CGI abyss that consumed Peter Jackson during his unfortunate Hobbit cycle." [60] Helen O'Hara, reviewing for British GQ , stated that although the film itself is a "strong adaptation" of Warcraft, the script diminishes the film's impact: "The problem is that it just can't escape those cod-fantasy roots. There are too many mysterious proper nouns being thrown into conversation and at least 12 major characters competing for space … [W]e're zipping from one to another here so quickly that they only have time for the most portentous, and sometimes clichéd, dialogue." [61]

Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, citing the performances and story as highlights. [62] Brian Truitt of USA Today also praised the acting, particularly Kebbell's performance as Durotan. "Kebbell's performance showcases the nuances of a father gripped by the no-win situation of having no home and his family in constant danger." Truitt also stated that he found it was not necessary for viewers of the film to have prior knowledge of the Warcraft series to enjoy the film. [63]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResultRef.
Annie Award February 4, 2017 Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action ProductionJohn Hansen, George Kuruvilla, Alexis Hall, Gordon Chapman and Ben O’BrienNominated [64]
Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action ProductionOrcs - Hal Hickel, Jee Young Park, Kai-Hua Lan, Cedric Lo and KimHuat OoiNominated
Visual Effects Society Awards February 7, 2017 Outstanding Animated Performance in a Photoreal FeatureDurotan – Sunny Wei, Brian Cantwell, Brian Paik, Jee Young ParkNominated [65]

Future

With the film's storyline leaving Warcraft open to possible sequels, Jones has expressed interest in a sequel to the film, likely to be adapted from Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness , the second video game in the Warcraft franchise. [66] [67] On June 18, 2018, Jones tweeted that the chance of Warcraft getting a sequel "doesn't look good". [68] In September 2020, it was reported that Legendary is developing a new Warcraft movie, though it's unknown if it is planned as a reboot or a sequel to Jones' film and will continue to be distributed by Universal Pictures or transferred to Legendary's current release partners Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. or Netflix. [69]

See also

Notes

  1. Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was developed by Blizzard Entertainment, published by Blizzard Entertainment and Interplay Productions, directed by Patrick Wyatt, produced by Bill Roper and Wyatt, and programmed by Bob Fitch, Jesse McReynolds, Michael Morhaime, and Wyatt

Related Research Articles

<i>Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos</i> 2002 video game

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a high fantasy real-time strategy computer video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment released in July 2002. It is the second sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, after Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, the third game set in the Warcraft fictional universe, and the first to be rendered in three dimensions. An expansion pack, The Frozen Throne, was released in July 2003. Warcraft III is set several years after the events of Warcraft II, and tells the story of the Burning Legion's attempt to conquer the fictional world of Azeroth with the help of an army of the Undead, led by fallen paladin Arthas Menethil. It chronicles the combined efforts of the Human Alliance, Orcish Horde, and Night Elves to stop them before they can corrupt the World Tree.

<i>Warcraft: Orcs & Humans</i> 1994 video game

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is a real-time strategy game (RTS) developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, and published by Interplay Productions in Europe. It was released for MS-DOS in North America on 15 November 1994, and for Mac OS in early 1996. The MS-DOS version was re-released by Sold-Out Software in 2002.

<i>World of Warcraft</i> 2004 video game

World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the Warcraft fantasy universe, World of Warcraft takes place within the world of Azeroth, approximately four years after the events of the previous game in the series, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The game was announced in 2001, and was released for the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise on November 23, 2004. Since launch, World of Warcraft has had nine major expansion packs: The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of the Lich King (2008), Cataclysm (2010), Mists of Pandaria (2012), Warlords of Draenor (2014), Legion (2016), Battle for Azeroth (2018), Shadowlands (2020), and Dragonflight (2022). Three further expansions, The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan, were announced in 2023.

Warcraft is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of six core games: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Warcraft Rumble. The first three of these core games are in the real-time strategy genre, where opposing players command virtual armies in battle against each other or a computer-controlled enemy. The fourth and best-selling title of the franchise is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), where players control their character and interact with each other in a virtual world.

<i>Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans</i> Unreleased video game

Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans is a cancelled graphic adventure game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Animation Magic from 1996 until 1998. Set in the Warcraft universe after the events of Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, it followed the orc character Thrall in his quest to reunite his race, then living on reservations and in slavery following its defeat by the human Alliance. Assuming the role of Thrall, the player would have used a point-and-click interface to explore the world, solve puzzles and interact with characters from the wider Warcraft series.

<i>Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal</i> 1996 video game

Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal is an expansion pack for the real-time strategy video game Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. It was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Cyberlore Studios, and published by Blizzard in North America and Europe in 1996. It requires the full version of the original game to run and adds new story campaigns and multiplayer maps. The expansion was later released alongside Tides of Darkness for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1997 as Warcraft II: The Dark Saga, and was included in the Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition for Windows PC and Macintosh in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Metzen</span> American game designer (born 1973)

Christopher Vincent Metzen is an American game designer, artist, voice actor, and author known for his work creating the fictional universes and scripts for Blizzard Entertainment's three major award-winning media franchises: Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft. Metzen was hired by Blizzard Entertainment as an animator and an artist; his first work for the company was with the video game Justice League Task Force.

<i>World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde</i> 2006 novel by Christie Golden

World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde is a novel by Christie Golden set in the Warcraft Universe. It was published in December 2006. Golden also has a commitment with Blizzard Entertainment and Simon & Schuster to write a StarCraft trilogy. Originally presumed to be the sequel to her previous 2001 book, Warcraft: Lord of the Clans, it depicts the draenei's escape from Argus and the rise of the Horde, following their shift from a shamanic race to a warmongering one. The book features major Warcraft characters, such as Durotan, Ner'zhul, Gul'dan, Orgrim Doomhammer, Kil'jaeden, and Velen. The story tells of how the orc clans and the noble draenei slowly become enemies due to deception and arrogance, and shows the downward spiral into which the orcs are thrown, and explores the role that demonic forces play in the Horde. It also expands on the origin of the Burning Legion, and the events preceding the first game of the Warcraft series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis Fimmel</span> Australian actor and model

Travis Fimmel is an Australian actor and former model. He is known for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel television series Vikings (2013–2017), and as Anduin Lothar in the live-action adaptation of Warcraft (2016). He also starred in the HBO Max science fiction series Raised by Wolves (2020–2022).

<i>World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King</i> 2008 expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is the second expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following The Burning Crusade. It launched on November 13, 2008 and sold 2.8 million copies within the first day, making it the fastest selling computer game of all time released at that point. The game added a substantial amount of new content into the game world, including the new continent of Northrend, home of The Lich King Arthas and his undead minions. In order to advance through Northrend, players were required to reach at least level 68, with the level cap for the expansion being 80. The first hero class was introduced, the Death Knight, that starts at level 55.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Kebbell</span> British actor

Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell is an English actor. He is known for his roles in films such as Dead Man's Shoes (2004), Control (2007), RocknRolla (2008), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), War Horse (2011), Wrath of the Titans (2012), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), Fantastic Four (2015), Warcraft (2016), A Monster Calls (2016), Ben-Hur (2016), and Gold (2016). He is also known for his work in the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You" (2011) and starred in the second film of the MonsterVerse film series, Kong: Skull Island (2017) and the Apple TV+ series Servant (2019–2023) and For All Mankind (2023–2024).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illidan Stormrage</span> Fictional character

Illidan Stormrage is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment.

<i>World of Warcraft: Cataclysm</i> 2010 expansion set for World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is the third expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Wrath of the Lich King. It was officially announced at BlizzCon on August 21, 2009, although dataminers and researchers discovered details before it was announced by Blizzard. The expansion was released on December 7, 2010.

<i>World of Warcraft: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King</i> 2009 novel by Christie Golden

Arthas: Rise of the Lich King is a Warcraft novel by Christie Golden, who is the author of multiple Star Trek and other Warcraft novels. The novel dealing with the progression of Arthas from Prince to the Lich King, was released on April 21, 2009.

<i>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness</i> 1995 video game

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy real-time strategy computer game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows in 1995 and Mac OS in 1996 by Blizzard's parent, Davidson & Associates. A sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, the game was met with positive reviews and won most of the major PC gaming awards in 1996. In 1996, Blizzard released an expansion pack, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, for DOS and Mac OS, and a compilation, Warcraft II: The Dark Saga, for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The Battle.net edition, released in 1999, included Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, provided Blizzard's online gaming service, and replaced the MS-DOS version with a Windows one.

<i>World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor</i> 2014 expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor is the fifth expansion set to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Mists of Pandaria. It was announced on November 8, 2013 at BlizzCon 2013. The expansion was released on November 13, 2014.

<i>World of Warcraft: Legion</i> 2016 expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Legion is the sixth expansion set in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Warlords of Draenor. It was announced on August 6, 2015 at Gamescom 2015. The expansion was released on August 30, 2016.

<i>World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth</i> 2018 expansion set for the game World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is the seventh expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Legion. It was announced at BlizzCon on November 3, 2017. In contrast to previous expansions, which went live at midnight in each time zone, Battle for Azeroth had a simultaneous release for all regions, corresponding to midnight Central European Summer Time on August 14, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anduin Wrynn</span> Warcraft character

Anduin Llane Wrynn is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. First appearing in the original launch of World of Warcraft in 2004, Anduin is the son of Tiffin and Varian Wrynn, and the king of the human kingdom of Stormwind. Following Varian's disappearance, young Anduin is crowned king of Stormwind. He succeeds his father following his death in World of Warcraft: Legion, as well as his position as leader of the Alliance. Anduin also appears as a playable character in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena game Heroes of the Storm. The character is voiced by Josh Keaton.

Thrall (<i>Warcraft</i>) Fictional character in the Warcraft universe

Thrall, born as Go'el, is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. Within the series, Thrall is an orc shaman who served for a time as a Warchief of the Horde, one of the major factions of the Warcraft universe, as well as the leader of a shaman faction dedicated to preserving the balance between elemental forces in the world of Azeroth known as the Earthen Ring. Originally introduced in promotional material released by Blizzard Entertainment as the protagonist of the canceled video game Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans, which was co-developed by Blizzard and Animation Magic from 1996 until 1998, Thrall's first proper appearance is in the 2001 novelization of the canceled video game's narrative authored by American novelist Christie Golden. The novel's story is set during his youth, where he is depicted as a slave who was raised by an abusive human military officer, but eventually rebelled and escaped captivity.

References

  1. "Warcraft: The Beginning (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  2. Pamela McClintock (May 18, 2016). "Summer Box-Office Guide to 'Suicide Squad,' Safe Bets and Potential Misfires". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Warcraft (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  4. Reynolds, Simon (November 2, 2015). "Warcraft: The Beginning poster revealed ahead of trailer release on Friday". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Blizzard Entertainment (May 9, 2006). "Blizzard Entertainment® And Legendary Pictures To Produce Live-Action Warcraft® Movie". Archived from the original on November 25, 2007.
  6. 1 2 3 Stedman, Alex (April 23, 2015). "'Pacific Rim 2' Pushed Back to Summer 2017". Variety. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  7. McClintock, Pamela (July 13, 2016). "Box-Office Analysis: 'Warcraft' Avoids "Utter Failure" But Will Still Lose Money". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "New Warcraft movie posters offer a closer look at its orcs and humans". Polygon . April 7, 2016. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  9. "Ben Foster Reveals His Character in the Warcraft Movie". May 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  10. "Meet the 'Warcraft' warriors: Ben Schnetzer is rookie mage Khadgar". USA Today . Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  11. "/Film Visits ILM To Learn Why the Visual Effects in 'Warcraft' Are Considered "Groundbreaking"". May 16, 2016. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  12. Welsh, Oli (May 30, 2016). "The Warcraft movie is too faithful by half". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  13. Linden, Sheri (May 24, 2016). "'Warcraft' Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  14. "The legendary cocreator of 'Warcraft,' 'Diablo,' and 'StarCraft' is retiring at age 42". Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  15. Charles Onyett (August 4, 2007). "BlizzCon 2007: New Details of the Warcraft Movie". IGN (PC). Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  16. Michael McWhertor (August 4, 2007). "Warcraft Movie Details Revealed At BlizzCon". Kotaku.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  17. Pete Haas (July 22, 2010). "Comic Con: World Of Warcraft Movie Isn't Dead But It's Nowhere Close To Happening". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  18. Schramm, Mike. "Blizzard to Boll: Thanks, but no thanks". Engadget . Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  19. "Sam Raimi plays 'Warcraft'". July 22, 2009. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  20. Fred Topel (July 13, 2012). "Comic Con 2012 Exclusive: Sam Raimi Won't Direct the World of Warcraft Movie". Crave Online. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  21. Borys Kit (January 30, 2013). "'Warcraft' Movie Lands 'Source Code' Director (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  22. 1 2 Itzkoff, Dave (May 24, 2016). "Duncan Jones, David Bowie's Son, on Making 'Warcraft' and Facing His Own Battles". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  23. Vejvoda, Jim (July 20, 2013). "Comic-Con: Warcraft Sizzle Reel Shown". IGN.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  24. "Paul Dano, Travis Fimmel, Anson Mount, Anton Yelchin On 'Warcraft' Short List". Deadline. September 23, 2013. Archived from the original on June 3, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  25. "'Vikings' Actor Travis Fimmel Game for Legendary's 'Warcraft' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. October 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  26. Yamato, Jen (December 18, 2013). "Daniel Wu, Clancy Brown Join Big Screen World Of 'Warcraft'". deadline.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  27. Mendoza, Jon (March 26, 2015). "'Warcraft': Duncan Jones, Travis Fimmel Reveal What Fans Will See In Video Game-Based Film". Yibada. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  28. Duncan Jones (May 23, 2014). "Twitter / ManMadeMoon: Final day on Warcraft now…". Archived from the original on May 24, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  29. Zakarin, Jordan (May 23, 2014). "Duncan Jones' Big Screen 'Warcraft' Adaptation Finally Wraps Production". thewrap.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  30. Germain Lussier (May 23, 2014). "Duncan Jones' 'Warcraft' Has Wrapped Production". /Film . Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  31. "World of Warcraft movie set to film in Vancouver early next year". Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  32. "World of Warcraft film post-production will take about 20 months to 'get right'". Polygon.com. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  33. Matt Peckham (May 20, 2016). "Here's Everything We Know About the Warcraft Movie So Far". Time . Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  34. Andy Wooding (July 24, 2016). "Film Doctor Warcraft cinematographer Simon Duggan In Conversation". Film Doctor. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  35. 1 2 "Ramin Djawadi to Score Duncan Jones' 'Warcraft' Movie". filmmusicreporter.com. October 17, 2014. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  36. "Warcraft: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". AllMusic . Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  37. "'Warcraft' score up for pre-order". modern-vinyl.com. July 27, 2016. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  38. Fletcher, Rosie; Armitage, Hugh. "Warcraft movie release date, trailer, cast, plot, poster, spoilers and everything you need to know". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  39. Nicholson, Mikey (May 17, 2016). "The 'Warcraft' movie is totally transforming its actors into orc warriors". SBS . SBS. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  40. "Warcraft: The Beginning". New DVD Release Dates. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  41. "From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment And Legendary Pictures: Warcraft". PR Newswire. July 28, 2016. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  42. "Buy WARCRAFT™ on Blu-Ray and DVD, Get Three Epic Digital Loot Drops". Blizzard Entertainment. September 12, 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  43. Abid Rahman and Patrick Brzeski (June 14, 2016). "Legendary Sells 'Warcraft' China Online Rights For Record Sum". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  44. Pamela McClintock (July 3, 2016). "Box Office: 'Finding Dory' Sinks 'Legend of Tarzan,' 'BFG' With $50M-Plus". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  45. 1 2 3 Anthony D'Alessandro (June 13, 2016). "'Conjuring 2' Screams Up $37M+, 'Warcraft' Spoils At $26M+, 'Now You See Me 2' At $22M+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  46. Pamela McClintock (July 13, 2016). "Box-Office Analysis: 'Warcraft' Avoids "Utter Failure" But Will Still Lose Money". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  47. Scott Mendelson (June 19, 2016). "Box Office: 'Warcraft' Is The 'Batman V Superman' Of Video Game Movies". Forbes . Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  48. Scott Mendelson (June 26, 2016). "Box Office: 'Warcraft' Crosses $400M Global, 'Finding Dory' Tops Weekend". Forbes . Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  49. Scott Mendelson (June 8, 2016). "Box Office: 'Warcraft' Snags Jaw-Dropping $46 Million Opening Day In China". Forbes . Archived from the original on June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  50. Dave McNary (May 27, 2016). "'Warcraft' Opens in First in 11 International Markets With $9.3 Million". Variety . Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  51. Pamela McClintock (June 5, 2016). "Box Office: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2' Wins Ho-Hum Weekend With $35.3M". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  52. Lang, Brent (June 7, 2016). "Box Office: 'Conjuring 2' to Ward Off 'Warcraft,' 'Now You See Me 2'". Variety . Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  53. Dave McNary (May 26, 2016). "$160 Million-Budgeted 'Warcraft' Faces Tough Battle at Box Office". Variety . Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  54. "'Warcraft' Invades The U.S. On Thursday Night". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  55. Pamela McClintock (June 12, 2016). "Box Office: 'Conjuring 2' Soars to $40.4M; 'Warcraft' Bombs in U.S. With $24.4M". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  56. "Warcraft (2016)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on June 23, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  57. "Warcraft (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2021. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  58. "Warcraft Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  59. Berkshire, Geoff (May 24, 2016). "Film Review: 'Warcraft'". Variety . Variety Media, LLC. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  60. Dowd, A.A. (June 8, 2016). "There's nothing immersive (or fun) about this world of Warcraft". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  61. O'Hara, Helen (May 26, 2016). "The World of Warcraft film script needed another read". British GQ . Condé Nast UK. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  62. Linden, Sheri (May 24, 2016). "'Warcraft': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  63. Truitt, Brian (June 8, 2016). "Review: 'Warcraft' doesn't default to fantasy as usual". USA Today . Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  64. 2/4/2017 Carolyn Giardina (February 4, 2017). "Annies: 'Zootopia' Wins Big With 6 Awards Including Best Animated Feature". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  65. Giardina, Carolyn (January 10, 2016). "'Rogue One' Leads Visual Effects Society Feature Competition With 7 Nominations As 'Doctor Strange,' 'Jungle Book' Grab 6 Each". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  66. Reed, Jane (July 5, 2016). "'WarCraft 2': Movie Sequel 'Tides Of Darkness': Second War On The Way". Jobs&Hire. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  67. Marnell, Blair (January 6, 2017). "Duncan Jones Hints at Potential Warcraft 2 Storylines". Nerdist. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  68. "Twitter / @RyanLeger2 @leeunkrich @warcraftmovie Doesn't look good, my friend". Twitter.com. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  69. "Another 'World of Warcraft' Film In-Development". Knight Edge Media. September 18, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.