WoW heads to the big screen

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2006-05-09 09:04am

E3 06: World of Warcraft headed for Hollywood
New York Times reports that Blizzard plans to announce its PC MMORPG's jump to the big screen on Tuesday.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted May 9, 2006 12:43 am PT
World of Warcraft has been rumored to be jumping platforms to the Xbox 360 for some time, but if The New York Times is correct, the next jump it makes will instead be to the world of film.

The Times is reporting that Blizzard will announce Tuesday that its massively successful, massively multiplayer online role-playing game is set to be made into a big-budget fantasy picture along the lines of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films, with Warner Bros.' Legendary Pictures handling the production.

Director, cast, release date, and budget are all undetermined as of yet, but the paper quotes Blizzard CEO Paul Sams as saying that the goal is to make "one of the best films in the world," a World of Warcraft pic that will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. He said Legendary Pictures management was keenly attuned to what Blizzard wanted out of a World of Warcraft film. Legendary's first film was Batman Begins. Other projects being brought to the big screen by Legendary Pictures include Superman Returns, The Ant Bully, Where the Wild Things Are, and Frank Miller's 300.

What the FUCK are they thinking?

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2006-05-09 09:23am

I'm guessing they'll start with Warcraft 1 or 2, rather than a film on WoW.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2006-05-09 09:25am

Audio Version
In a world of adventure...
Two great alliances vie for control...
Six strangers must band together to fight for what they believe in...
This summer, prepare yourself for a whole new world of excitement in...
WORLD OF WARCRAFT: The Curse of the Goldfarmer

Post by **Vympel** » 2006-05-09 10:18am

You want buy gold?

American dollar = GOLD!

50 dollars you get epic mount!

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2006-05-09 11:39am

Mi cha hoi, u bai?

water?

$$$ only.

wautd · Post by **wautd** » 2006-05-09 11:54am

Late april fools joke? Hopefully

Fuck Warcraft. Give me a well done Starcraft movie

Tasoth · Post by **Tasoth** » 2006-05-09 12:08pm

I wonder if there will be a funeral raid scene with alliances troops chanting 'lololololololololololololololol' the entire time.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2006-05-09 01:17pm

I'll believe it when Blizzard puts out a press release.

Nephtys · Post by **Nephtys** » 2006-05-09 01:23pm

I can see it now. A six hour epic, with five hours of rat-grinding, then sitting in the back of a mob, chain-casting heals as people throw crapp at Onyxia.

Base Delta Zero · Post by **Base Delta Zero** » 2006-05-09 03:06pm

I'll believe it when Blizzard puts out a press release.

Here ya go.

IRVINE, Calif. -- May 9, 2006 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures today announced that they have entered into an agreement to develop a live-action film based on Blizzard Entertainment®'s award-winning Warcraft® universe. Based on the terms of the agreement, Legendary Pictures has acquired the movie rights for the best-selling game universe, and both companies are now focused on translating the high-quality Warcraft entertainment experience to the big screen.

"We searched for a very long time to find the right studio for developing a movie based on one of our game universes," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "Many companies approached us in the past, but it wasn't until we met with Legendary Pictures that we felt we'd found the perfect partner. They clearly share our high standards for creative development, and because they understand the vision that we've always strived for with our Warcraft games, we feel there isn't a better studio out there for bringing the Warcraft story to film."

"One of our goals at Legendary Pictures has been to bring heroic stories to life in groundbreaking ways, and it's inspiring to work with a company such as Blizzard that takes that approach with each of its products," stated Legendary Pictures chairman and CEO Thomas Tull. "The Warcraft universe is possessed of such a rich mythology and, as such, serves as an ideal platform as we go about translating that universe into what we intend to be a major event film."

Blizzard's Warcraft games have developed a loyal following since the series debuted in 1994. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness™, released in 1995, won multiple Game of the Year awards and is still considered one of the best games ever made, and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos™ broke multiple sales records when it launched in 2002. World of Warcraft®, Blizzard's latest entry in the critically acclaimed franchise, has quickly become one of the world's most popular online games, with more than 6 million paying customers worldwide.

"From our first Warcraft game to our latest novels, our intention has always been to develop a rich fantasy universe that could support stories and products in many forms," stated Chris Metzen, Blizzard Entertainment's vice president of creative development. "In addition to being a truly rewarding experience for us, the creation of this motion picture also feels like a natural next step for the Warcraft universe."

"It's not always the case that interactive game properties lend themselves to proper adaptation to film," said Jon Jashni, Legendary Pictures' chief creative officer. "We are intending to approach this as we would the adaptation of a best-selling novel: respect the essence of all that it is but also build upon that fertile base while translating it into a new medium."

Further details about the upcoming Warcraft movie, including director, cast, and targeted release date, will be revealed in the months ahead.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service, Battle.net®, reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

About Legendary Pictures
Legendary Pictures formed a partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures in 2005 to co-produce and co-finance at least 25 pictures during an initial 5-year term, which includes a first-look distribution arrangement. The company operates from the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California. Legendary Pictures' first film was Batman Begins, directed by Chris Nolan. Future releases include Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer, M. Night Shymalan's Lady in the Water, and Roland Emmerich's 10,000 B.C.

It's not technically a WoW movie, but a warcraft movie. I'm not getting my hopes up, given the quality of blizzard's work recently.

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2006-05-09 03:29pm

This could be... interesting. I'm not sure if this is good or bad. All I can say, however, is that the script better be much better than the book that came with the WoW pre-order; I couldn't stand to read more than a chapter of that crap.

Meest · Post by **Meest** » 2006-05-09 03:54pm

It will probably be the Arthas story if they want something safe to go with. Unless it's a continuation of WoW for an expansion, their MMO makes more money than the average movie.

Utsanomiko · Post by **Utsanomiko** » 2006-05-09 04:12pm

I'll bet you a dollar it will not be either Warcraft 1 or 2, and eight cents they won't play it reasonable and cover a story arc from 3. I'd consider the possibility they'd cover something altogether new following the third game to lead up to WoW, or something during/after to generate interest in some aspect of the game.

But I wouldn't rule out covering the Third War. Despite its relative simplicity and lack of thematic purpose, Warcraft does have some interesting backstory and WC3 goes into some depth of that during its progression.

Post by **Surlethe** » 2006-05-09 05:21pm

The first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title was, "LEEEROOY JEEEENNNKIINNSS!!"

Are there any games which have translated well into a movie format at all?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-05-09 06:35pm

InnocentBystander wrote:This could be... interesting. I'm not sure if this is good or bad. All I can say, however, is that the script better be much better than the book that came with the WoW pre-order; I couldn't stand to read more than a chapter of that crap.

The stuff in the collectors box was nuts. I don't know how the writers can take all the crazy fluff seriously.

Duckie · Post by **Duckie** » 2006-05-09 08:10pm

Perhaps it'll have "HOW I MINE FOR FISH" as its tagline?

Idea- It'll start with a character slaughtering 100 wolves so he can collect 10 wolf ears (sometimes they don't fall off and then he can't get them) for some random villager for no reason.

Post by **Lagmonster** » 2006-05-10 07:54am

The Warcraft and Starcraft games themselves were defined by rather good plots for a game, so this isn't out of the realm of reason, despite the obvious fact that video game movies are plagued with incompetence.

Faqa · Post by **Faqa** » 2006-05-10 11:05am

All this time praying for a Blizzard movie....

And it's gonna be a quick abuse of the MMORPG trend, and probably suck. The universe hates me.....

*goes off into a corner and cries

Majin Gojira · Post by **Majin Gojira** » 2006-05-10 11:57am

Video games are like Novels--with a lot more grinding and the like. Anyone who knows the story going to even attempt to break it down into a 4 act structure? (Pick a Warcraft. Any Warcraft!)

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2006-05-10 01:48pm

wautd wrote:Late april fools joke? Hopefully

Fuck Warcraft. Give me a well done Starcraft movie

See Aliens.

The rise and fall of Arthas was a very good story IMHO. I wonder which of the Hero's of WC it'll focus on. I always had a soft spot for Thrall. With the right budget this will be awesome. Just hope Uwe Boll or what ever the fuck his name is stays the hell away.

Post by **Dalton** » 2006-05-11 02:16am

wautd wrote:Fuck Warcraft. Give me a well done Starcraft movie

Yeah, that's slated to begin shooting right after Starcraft: Ghost is released.

Post by **Kuja** » 2006-05-11 03:02pm

Fuck a WoW movie, give us classic Warcraft!

"In the Age of Chaos, two factions battled for dominance. The Kingdom of Azeroth was a prosperous one. The humans who dwelled there turned the land into a paradise. The Knights of Azeroth and the Clerics of Northshire Abbey roamed far and wide, serving the king's people with honour and justice. The well-trained armies of the King maintained a lasting peace for many generations. Then came the Orcish Hordes.

No-one knew where these creatures came from, and none were prepared for the terror that they spawned. Their warriors wielded axe and spear with deadly proficiency, while others rode Darkwolves as black as the moonless night. Unimagined were the destructive powers of their evil magicks, derived from the fires of the underworld.

With an ingenious arsenal of weaponry and powerful magick, these two forces collide in a contest of cunning, intellect, and brute strength, with the victor claiming dominance over the whole of Azeroth! Welcome to the world of Warcraft!"

Utsanomiko · Post by **Utsanomiko** » 2006-05-11 05:01pm

Man, Warcraft's backstory and setting couldn't fill a matchbook when it first came out; they've been revising, expanding, and retconning it with every single addition since starting as a quaint little derivative of Warhammer.

They've at least put together some depth by now. Maybe in another ten years they'll develop a greater struggle more interesting and relevant than Otherwordly Invaders vs 'The Light'.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-05-11 05:04pm

I just hope it isn't CGI, because then it'd take something like 10-15 years to make...

Utsanomiko · Post by **Utsanomiko** » 2006-05-11 05:12pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:I just hope it isn't CGI, because then it'd take something like 10-15 years to make...

Oh man, that totally slipped my mind. Yeah's it'll have to be for time and money reasons, and I can't imagine how goofy it'll look live.