Legendary Pictures Taps Source Code Director for Warcraft Movie

[Steven Bogos]

Legendary Pictures Taps Source Code Director for Warcraft Movie

Legendary Pictures is hoping to start filming in late 2013 for a 2015 release.

Duncan Jones has been signed on to direct Legendary Pictures' live-action adaption of the MMORPG freight-train that is World of Warcraft. The filmmaker son of David Bowie is best known for his time-travel hit Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal of the live-action Prince of Persia movie [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101554-Prince-of-Persia-Now-Highest-Grossing-Game-Movie-Ever] fame. Jones' producing partner, Stuart Fenegan, will be executive producer while Chris Metzen, script writer for games in all of Blizzard's major franchises, will co-produce. Filming is currently scheduled to start in fall of 2013 to meet a 2015 release.

Jones made his cinematic debut by writing and directing the thought-provoking sci-fi indie effort Moon, starring Sam Rockwell and costing less than $1 million to make. For contrast the Warcraft movie is expected to have a budget upwards of $100 million. He has also expressed interest in working on the upcoming Wolverine movie [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109245-Moon-Director-In-Running-to-Take-Over-Wolverine-Movie]. Fenegan most recently produced Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

Jones' movies, along with his lively Twitter account [https://twitter.com/manmademoon], have made him a favorite among sci-fi fans. His announcement of his new role over Twitter came off as a challenge to himself to finally be the one to make a good movie adaptation of a game.
[tweet t=https://twitter.com/ManMadeMoon/status/296791943386652673
]
Legendary is keeping its script, written by Charles Leavitt, under a tight lid. The Warcraft franchise has a huge amount of lore to work with, so it will be interesting to see how, if at all, Leavitt works it into his script. Maintaining Warcraft's balance of good and evil, with neither the Horde nor the Alliance being seen as inherently "the good guys" or "the bad guys" should also prove to be a challenge for the writer, whose most notable work includes 2006's Blood Diamond.

Source: Hollywood Reporter [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warcraft-movie-lands-source-code-416956]

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[The Great JT]

Can't say I'm waiting in rapt anticipation for the movie. I'm hyped, but maybe one too many bad game adaptations have impacted my taste in them.

Then again, this coming from someone who loves the Super Mario Bros. Movie (mostly because of Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo's chemistry and Dennis Hopper being awesome).

 

[VanQ]

Well shit, so this is actually happening? Color me surprised. I may have left the game at the start of Cataclysm but I will surely be there to see the movie on opening day. I just hope they can create a movie that feels like WarCraft.

As disappointed as it is to hear it's live action and not delicious Blizzard CG, I will remain cautiously optimistic about this as the team doesn't seem too bad. I just hope they don't go for the PG13 approach like Dark Knight Rises did. I want to see some ferocious Orc vs Human combat.

EDIT: And somebody better get sheeped! This is a thing that can not be avoided because reasons.

 

[Telumektar]

What's even more important than directing Source Code (a very good Sci-fi film, IMHO) for Duncan Jones' appreciation as a Director is that he directed MOON, probably the BEST Science Fiction film in the last 10 years or so.
The man has a great cinematographic vision and knows how to paste it on-screen.

I say Hooray!

 

[zz_]

Well shit, so this is actually happening? Color me surprised. I may have left the game at the start of Cataclysm but I will surely be there to see the movie on opening day. I just hope they can create a movie that feels like WarCraft.

As disappointed as it is to hear it's live action and not delicious Blizzard CG, I will remain cautiously optimistic about this as the team doesn't seem too bad. I just hope they don't go for the PG13 approach like Dark Knight Rises did. I want to see some ferocious Orc vs Human combat.

EDIT: And somebody better get sheeped! This is a thing that can not be avoided because reasons.

Blizzard CGI would never work, I remember them saying it takes years just to make each expansion cinematic, so even with a significantly larger team it would take ages to make a full cgi movie.

And, as the new TES: Online trailer proved, live-action can be pretty badass.

 

[xplosive59]

Love Duncan Jones work, and even though I cannot stand WoW I will go see it just because he is involved.

 

[Aussie502]

And, as the new TES: Online trailer proved, live-action can be pretty badass.

Not sure what you've been smoking, but that trailer is 100% CGI Unless you were referring to the Skyrim commerical?

 

[DugMachine]

Shame they're not going full CGI. Hire the guys who did the Lich King cinematic and that movie will be absolutely beautiful...

Honestly thought this was dead and forgotten but I'll definitely see it. Hope it's actually good and doesn't fall into the standard video game movies are bad curse. I looooove warcraft so my expectations for this movie are quite high.

 

[Scorpid]

I would like to see this as CGI too personally because when was the absolute last time we saw hollywood come out with a great 100% CGI movie that was also good. Oh well I was kind of not excited about this movie till I read this article because now it does seem like that this has the groundwork of a team that isn't into making this movie for a quick buck. I mean Chris Metzan I remember him working on WarCraft Orcs vs Humans (or for you diaper wearing babies the very first warcraft). I must of read and reread the manuals for Warcraft 1 and 2 at least six times just because of how big chock full of great Lore and Artwork they were.

I would like to see a trilogy that follows Warcraft 1-3... Hell they could make a trilogy of films on just Arthas story alone. There is so much good Lore to bring to the big screen to just flesh out. Oh I'm certainly optimistic for this movie now. ^_^

 

[Ohlookit'sMatty]

When this movie first came to light I heard take of it been set about the events of Arthas and how he fell from grace to become the Lich King // I do hope that this is still something that they are going ahead with as it would be a very interesting story and involve a good number of Horde and Alince characters as well as hits of future films

-M

 

[Laith]

I mean Chris Metzan I remember him working on WarCraft Orcs vs Humans (or for you diaper wearing babies the very first warcraft).

It's a bit odd that you "remember" that, because Metzen joined the Blizzard team during production on Warcraft 2, not Warcraft 1. He wasn't around for the first one. You're probably thinking of Sam Dider's drawings in the Warcraft 1 manual; he was around for the first game.

All the same, I agree; a movie about the RTS games would interest me a lot more than a movie relating to the MMO. It'll never happen because WoW has greatly overshadowed the original property, but oh well, one can dream.
And yeah, I spent a lot of time reading the old Warcraft manuals as well.

 

[R.Nevermore]

I am very glad to hear that Christ Metzen is going to be taking a very direct role in it. While I've not seen any of Mr. jones's work, Metzen plays a front role in production and story boarding of the Blizzard cinematics, full CGI and in game cut scenes. It's been proven that the man is very good.

They have quite the team working on this. I just pray it panders less than the other video game movies out there. Lets see a good movie that takes place in a good universe. Not a live action video game piece.

 

[Scorpid]

I mean Chris Metzan I remember him working on WarCraft Orcs vs Humans (or for you diaper wearing babies the very first warcraft).

It's a bit odd that you "remember" that, because Metzen joined the Blizzard team during production on Warcraft 2, not Warcraft 1. He wasn't around for the first one. You're probably thinking of Sam Dider's drawings in the Warcraft 1 manual; he was around for the first game.

All the same, I agree; a movie about the RTS games would interest me a lot more than a movie relating to the MMO. It'll never happen because WoW has greatly overshadowed the original property, but oh well, one can dream.
And yeah, I spent a lot of time reading the old Warcraft manuals as well.

Oh wow that is weird I could of sworn seeing his little wacky signature at the bottom of most of the Warcraft 1 artwork. But you're right =/

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

Moon is my favorite movie of all time, and I enjoyed Source Code so while I'm not really a Warcraft fan, I'll probably rent this movie just out of respect for him.