We've been hearing about a possible Warcraft movie for years and years, but only now does it look as though the project is actually going to become a reality. As part of their deal with Universal Pictures, Legendary Pictures has announced today that the film based on the long running video game is now set to be released on December 18, 2015 - making it yet another big blockbuster addition to a year that is already confirmed to include major titles like The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Batman vs. Superman, Jurassic World, the Terminator reboot, and many more.
At this stage we know very little about the film's story, but the script is being written by Jones along with Charles Leavitt, whose previous credits include the football drama The Express and the Oscar-nominated Blood Diamond. Production on the movie likely won't begin until next summer, though the co-writer/director of the film did premiere a "tone trailer" for the project at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. I was actually present for the unveiling of the footage, and you can read my full description of it below:
A warrior is roaming an empty desert with a shield on his back. The greenish sky is covered by dark clouds and lightning. He sees a pile of armor on the ground and kneels down to pick up a shield. He then takes his sword and begins to beat it against the shield, as though calling someone out. We then see a green beast from behind holding a giant hammer. The two circle each other and then both charge. As they are about to collide the title appears: Warcraft.
What's surprising about Legendary and Universal's release date choice for the film is that the weekend is already occupied by another anticipated title: director Ron Howard's adaptation of Dan Brown's Inferno, which is set to once again star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon. Fantasy and genre movies certainly do have a strong recent history at the December box office, with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit and Avatar all making a great deal of money in that season, but Warcraft faces stiff competition in a franchise that has already produced two hit movies. As Legendary notes in their official announcement of the release date on Facebook, this move actually "marks the first film dated under the recently formed partnership between Universal and Legendary." Let's hope they know what they're doing.
Video game movies don't exactly have the greatest legacy out there, but if any one can help turn that ship around I bet it could be Jones. With both Moon and Source Code the young filmmaker has proven himself to be a real talent, and he is currently Warcraft's best asset. For those unfamiliar with the director's work, get acquainted with the trailers below.
