Official Announcement
BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® AND LEGENDARY PICTURES
TO PRODUCE LIVE-ACTION WARCRAFT® MOVIE
Fantasy game franchise played by millions worldwide to become major motion picture
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® (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 ten #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.
Comments 42 Responses to “Official Announcement”
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When is this movie going to come out if it is or not
Is there any hint that the movie will be CGI or live action? The cinematics that Blizzard creates for their games are ahead of their time, and if they were to produce The Warcraft Movie in their same style as their cinematics, it would be absolutely breathtaking. I don’t think the same result can be acquired from a live-action film.
I’m thinking that it *will* be in CGI…a Liveaction would be a little odd imo…Plus, a CGI movie of Blizzard’s level would not only be incredible to watch, but would help indefinitely in breaking all box-office records.
hope this gets more updated soon
This will be great. And I agree it should be CGI. It would be completely awkward with real actors doing this. I love the World of Warcraft cinematics. It should be like this except 2 and a half hours long with amazing voices just like a dwarf or troll o r something. I hope this will not be a total failure! HOPE FOR THE BEST!
It defiantly needs to be in CGI the cinematic’s are absolutely amazing and the movie would be a whole lot better with CGI then actors.But well have to wait and see
I agree with the CGI
I think it would be amazing as a CGI, the Cinematics made my jaw drop with the amazing graphics and sound effects. If they made a a Live-action. It would be sort opf a rip of from Lord of The Rings. CGI would probably be the best movie graphics ever. Compared to companys such a Dreamworks, or Pixar. Would be a massive improvement. And a breakthrough in entertainment history!
Can’t wait ’til more is announced!
They have already said it will be live action. Which in my opinion, with the right actors, would be the best way to go.
My reasons are very well calculated. First, Blizzard is not the only company working on this project, so therefore their programming team will more than likely not be involved at all in this process. Secondly those CGIs wouldn’t be really all that great without the story that produced them. The story is really what counts here and with Metzen writing the story and an awesome studio like legendary fueling this one, I have the highest faith in the live action version of Warcraft blowing away box office records everywhere. Another point to my argument being that (this is just a theory) if it were to be a CGI movie, it would probably flop faster than you can say “For The Horde”. Reason being CGI movies usually only do well in the family kids genre (i.e. Shrek). And you can’t overlook the fact that with this movie, if there were any secondary motives up Blizzard’s sleeve, it would be to expand the fanbase. Which would be impossible if they made a movie that would only appeal to the people who are already fans. Those are just my opinions feel free to debate me.
I hope there’s an update soon… There’s no news at all except for Uwe Boll’s [laughable] application, and I really want to know more. I hope it’s CGI, I don’t think the world could be accurately captured in live action. The fact that it’s being filmed by Legendary gives me hope, though. Can’t wait!
Everything I have read says it will be live action.
I think it will be CGI. When I came across this pic http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/limage?siteID=123112&id=10710228&imageID=11460989
in the gallery of AutoDesk it sparked my memory reminding me of the Warcraft movie. If you look closely in the background you can see a horde flag.
Do people not read its going to be live action.. Wow, which is probably the best way to go in my opinion. Granted Blizzard foes make awesome Cinematics, the movie is trying to appeal to teen/adult genre not just little children. As it has already been stated most CG movies are made for children, with the way this story goes along with the gore not so much a child’s movie.
Now I am sure there will be CG for the spells, Orcs, Undead etc. Which is they do as good of a job as they did in there game cinematics and the the help of Legendary. I am sure this movie will be a huge success.
I heard it is supposed to be a nice blend of CG and live action.
I have such high expectations, but I know with the help of Legendary it should make me feel like the 4 years i’ve played of WoW, plus the other years playing WC games were all worth it!
It should be completely, and utterly epic to see the race that I play get some spotlight on the big-screen!
Go Blood Elves! Go HORDE!
Its gonne be live action.
I know it sucks but they said it in the blizcon intervieuw. you can see it on youtube or gamespot or wherever. and I have to say … I understand why. CG would take WAY too long. they would neva make the deadline.
They also stated it would be in the perspective of the alliance.
as they quoted: “and anyway,who would like to see(a non-warcraft gamer) a big green dude on big screen, haha” where someone in the audiance applyd: “Then what about shrek!” *everyone laughs*
anyways I hope they dont screw it up bcouse the whole comunity would suffer greatly and we dont want that.
PS: plz understand that this movie will not be a WOW movie!!!!
this will be a warcraft movie so dont expect any questing trough a big wide world.
I can’t wait! this should be intresting
should be live action
imagine something like Lord of the rings
that would be nicer
i just hope they do the effects on the live action nicely
and do a good job at this
hope it doesnt turn it out like the other films based on a game
i am realy looking forward to the movie but my only complaint is that its a alli prospective i personaly like the horde better especialy if they had it about thrall or about the blood elves
if anything they will prob tell the tale of either Rhonin, Arthas, or Illidan, to be honest the alli side has a more interesting story line nd i would vote Day of the Dragon for a cgi warcraft movie following the sequel about how rhonin taught illidan and then illidan met arthas through the time line
Doese nayone have a link toi a trailer?
Ha, I would love a story based on Arthas, throughout his life, it was an awesome campaign, but yeah, it is Live Action, though they more than likely will do CG for the fantasy characters, fake ears and body paint is ugly, and it’d be hard to find big muscly brutish men and masculine women to play the Orcs.
…I just imagined Arnold Swartzanegger (Spelt wrong) as an Orc.
GOODLUCK ON MOVIE AND I HOPE FOR THE BEST PLEASE DO YOUR BEST AND TRY TO MAKE IT BETTER THEN THE REST!!!! FOR THE HORDE – BLACKHAND
AND BTW TEM THAT WUD BE FUNNY AS HELL ARNOLD” SHUT UP N GET DOWN, AHHH HURRY GET TO THE CHOPPAH!!!!” ROFL
if this movie isnt live action it will be like beowolf, a very grafical cartoon, and plus this movie is only about alliance im pretty sure, even though i would prefere horde, because im an orc!.
FOR THE HORDE!!!!
I think the movie will be good but I do think blizzard needs to release some info on how the movie is comming along ! Come on throw some crumbs to the people ! I mean blizz has not released any news what so ever about the movies progress or even if they have found a director or any thing.
Heck the could atleast say the script is finished we have a director and cast and filming will start soon anything is better than nothing.
Live action would not do the game justice. Most of the movie would have to be CGI, from the places and mounts. If they make it live action, only race they get to do would be humans, and then find alot of people with the same build as WoW char. would be differcult. Dwarfs, Gnomes and etc. would be to hard to find real people to play. CGI would be the best way to go, if want the support of WoW fans. Now those that don’t play problay wouldn’t care, just another Lord of the Rings or Narnia movie type.
i wish it would be an live-action…lyk the lord of the rings (it was my favorite too!) especially bout the love story of tyrande and mal, jaina and arthas……… more exiting!!!!
and what bout the actors and actress ?
4 example:
imagine Hugh Jackman as illidan…..
MORE POWER!!!!2 blizzard and legendary pics.
i hope more updates bout my fav. movie!!!
FOR THE HORDE!!!! FOR KALIMDOR!!!
Без особого преувеличения можно точно сказать, что пост тему раскрыл на все 100 процентов.
I think the plot will be at the World of Warcraft age…
But it will be exciting if the famous Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne will be the plot
Fuck this movie will be crap, just like all ur mothers in bed
i hope they will feature Arthas…and Illidan
I love blizzs cinematics but i would prefer a live action film cz I still w8 a movie which will take the throne of Lord of the Rings:P i mean LoTR is the most epic movie ever, imagine wow which has more history than LoTR.Also I would like to see it on trilogy, following the expansions=>film1:alliance vs hordes(including a love story between a belf and an ally, film2:the rise of illidan film3:the rise of arthas and like Peter jackson did with The Hobbit, after the trilogy making a film for arthas
I think that the movie will be better if they make it like the cinematic of WoW WotLK amazing graphics !!!
Actually date of release is somewhere in 2011 but it could change. It’s done when it’s done
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/
I think it should definately be live action but with so much cg it is nearly all cg.
lol tdo mundo eh gringo
I hope this movie will be such a real pain in their ass.
When they do something wrong, a little thing, first of all their community will be dissapointed then the nerds who plays the game will be more insulted e.t.c
I think it should be CGI as well. I love seeing the cinematics blizzard has done for each xpac. Live action will be good as well, but if they put the time and effort into CGI instead, I think they would make much more money. I’m somewhat afraid of how well they can pull off a live action movie.
Hope this film be like wc3 movie trailers cause we all got used to them ,we liked the style and i think we all support this idea .If this happens ,God it will be wonderful
Sorry but Star Wars was “ahead of its time” for special effects and live-action. I’m sorry but if they do this full CGI then I won’t go to it. I’m not against CGI but the overuse nowadays makes me a little angry. Hell Star Wars had a great mix with special fx and live-action, why can’t it be something of that nature? I don’t want a full on Final Fantasy style movie. Backgrounds, fx, some main characters that are hard to make using makeup, fine… but to jump right on the CGI train is a little weird. Hell most of the characters can be created with good ol fashion effects. If they do do CGI I’d like to see at leasdt Beowulf, where they 3D scanned the actors into a database and used them to produce the movie (gave it a little more realism than having some designer build people from teh ground up).
i Wish the film vision looks like Lord of the rings.. i want to c Baby Thrall in this movie
its gona be Orcs And Humans as start movie i thing.. ( sry for my sux english 
)