14 DAY TRIAL // Not a single day without a Hollywood-related piece of news it seems, as the rumor mill started spinning yesterday about who would direct the upcoming World of Warcraft-inspired movie, and now official confirmation has arrived from both Legendary Pictures and Blizzard that reputed director Sam Raimi will be at the helm of Warcraft.
For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, Raimi is responsible for the more recent Drag Me to Hell horror flick and can also boast having directed the Spider-Man movie franchise, proving that he can handle, at least sometimes, the pressure from fans and will deliver a great mainstream approach to cult figures and characters.
While Legendary Pictures and Blizzard will be the two main companies behind the Warcraft project, Warner Bros. will also pitch in to co-finance and distribute it around the world. Besides Raimi, former associate producer of The Dark Knight, Charles Roven, will also work on this new movie.
Raimi will supervise the early stages of development for Warcraft and will commence shooting after work on the future Spider-Man 4 movie will end, supposedly next year. “At its core, 'Warcraft' is a fantastic, action-packed story,” Raimi revealed in a statement made after the official announcement.
“Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life,” said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We're looking forward to working with him to achieve that here.”
No word yet on which of the many conflicts in the Warcraft universe will be tackled but it’s safe to say that both the Alliance and the Horde factions will be in for some truly epic battles. Hopefully the project will get funded properly and Raimi will take care of it and manage to deliver an experience that is great for both hardcore fans of the series, who have played every game, and for people who aren't really into gaming or the Warcraft universe.
Do you believe that Raimi's addition to the team of this project will make a considerable difference and might make you go and see it or will the Warcraft movie disappear from your must-see list? Leave us a comment with your thoughts.