ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Orcs won’t just be sword fodder in the upcoming film adaptation of the Blizzard video game franchise “Warcraft.” The snarling green-skinned creatures will be respected just as much as the human characters from the fantasy saga.
“As in the game, where you can choose what side to be on, I thought it was really important that we made a film which allowed you to be on either side of the conflict and follow heroes on both sides,” director Duncan Jones told a massive crowd Friday at BlizzCon, a fan-centric celebration of Blizzard Entertainment Inc.
Jones was on hand at the Anaheim Convention Center with “Warcraft” visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer to hype the upcoming film from Legendary and Universal Pictures. They were later joined on stage by “True Blood” and “Pacific Rim” actor Rob Kazinsky, who was wielding a replica of the behemoth Doomhammer weapon. Kazinsky is playing the orc warrior Orgrim in the film.
“We’re fans,” said Kazinsky. “We wanted it to be right. It would absolutely murder me if this thing sucked.”
The director, a longtime “World of Warcraft” player who previously created the films “Source Code” and “Moon,” was quick to note the “Warcraft” movie will keep the focus on the conflict between orcs and humans, which was depicted in the original “Warcraft” games from the 1990s.