With the feature film adaptation of the insanely popular video gameWorld of Warcraftfinally coming to fruition, you no doubt have some questions about this feature film iteration of the MMORPG.MoonandSource CodedirectorDuncan Jonesco-wrote and directedWarcraft, which aims to tell a tale in which there is no good side and bad side. Instead,Warcraftfocuses equally on the humans and the orcs, with cutting-edge technology bringing the orcs to stunning life via motion-capture.
The story ofWarcrafttakes place in the peaceful realm of Azeroth, home to the humans. When orc warriors flee their dying home world in search of a new colony, landing on Azeroth via portal, a conflict arises that will decide the fate of both sides in spectacular fashion.
Last spring I had the pleasure of visiting the Vancouver set ofWarcraftalongside a handful of other journalists, and we learneda lotabout the film and how Jones was bringing the video game to life. While I’ve separately shared a more detailed report on how the film aims to finally break the “video game movie curse”, here I’ve put together a formidable list of tidbits I learned about the movie while on set.
Although many may be skeptical of a film based onWorld of Warcraft, there were a few takeaways that made me confident Jones was putting together something special. Behind the scenes, the project was filled with passionate fans of the video game (including Jones) who were ensuring that fans of the game wouldn’t be disappointed, but these folks were equally focused on crafting an experience that would be just as appealing to non-fans. In essence,Warcraftis an unabashedly nerdy fantasy epic told on an absolutely massive scale, all the while using incredible cutting-edge technology to bring this vivid world to life. While I don’t want to jinx anything, I’m pretty confident that Jones, producersCharles Roven,Thomas Tull,Jon Jashni,Alex GartnerandStuart Fennegan, and the team at Universal have put together something we’ve never seen before.
So, with that said, here’s a brief primer on the characters ofWarcraftfollowed by 35 things to know about the film.Warcraftopens in 3D on June 19, 2025.
Who’s Who inWarcraft?
Things to Know
For more of my set visit coverage, peruse the links below.
