MTV Movies Blog › Warcraft

I'm still holding out hope for that perfectly adapted video game movie. And while I'm not a fan of the MMORPG "World of Warcraft," I am a fan of Sam Raimi taking on an adaptation of the same, titled "Warcraft." There's very little known at this point about the movie, which is tentatively planned for a 2013 release. But now there's a little more, thanks to an update from Raimi on the red carpet at last weekend's Saturn Awards.

Speaking to Sci Fi Wire, Raimi revealed that screenwriter Robert Rodat ("Saving Private Ryan") has a 40-page treatment written, but nothing more. Raimi also revealed that the goal in fleshing out the story with known figures from the "Warcraft" universe is to "choose the ones that are interesting and could play a part in a drama that slowly develops." There's really nothing specific that emerges, but head over to the source link to get a better feel for how Raimi views this particular project, then share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Tags sam raimi, Warcraft

In a phone interview with "Drag Me To Hell" director Sam Raimi last week, MTV's Eric Ditzian managed to sneak in a few questions about "Warcraft." Among the revelations Raimi had to share was the news that "Saving Private Ryan" writer Robert Rodat will be tackling the "Warcraft" script as well (a subsequent call to Rodat's agent confirmed this as true).

Raimi confirmed that the story, which had previously been believed to be an adaptation of the book "Arthas: Rise of the Lich King" after the IMDB listing changed (it has since changed back), will actually be an original effort based in the universe of the popular online role-playing game. "We would choose... something that encompasses lands and characters and storylines, and we would be true to it. But our story may or may not be about one of those central characters." Read more...

Tags robert rodat, sam raimi, Warcraft

After the Peter Jackson-produced adaptation of "Halo" fell through, things started looking bleak for the near-future of video game-to-movie adaptations. We're talking about a sub-genre -- the video game adaptation -- that's had a stunning run of mediocrity in its short history, from early efforts like "Super Mario Bros." and "Street Fighter" to the more recent string of abominations from filmmaker Uwe Boll. There are a few high points, like "Silent Hill," but nothing that's been an unquestioned win.

Enter Sam Raimi, the next great hope for movie-loving gamers. It was revealed in July that the "Spider-Man" will next (or at least soon) be turning to the massively multiplayer world of Azeroth for an adaptation of Blizzard's obscenely popular online role-playing game, "World of Warcraft." Until now, the movie's been going by the title "Warcraft" and no story details have been released. Well things have changed, and I think you fans are going to like it. Read more...

Tags sam raimi, Warcraft, Warcraft: The Rise of the Lich King

Brandon Routh gets a bad rap for his turn as the Man of Steel in "Superman Returns." The movie was... not great. That wasn't his fault though. Routh looked the part, he acted the part and he reminded us all that there is life after Christopher Reeve, even for Superman.

He's also a gamer. Big time. Which makes him someone I can relate to. Speaking with MTV Splash Page's Rick Marshall at San Diego Comic-Con, Routh revealed that he sinks many of his idle hours into Blizzard's supremely popular online role-playing game "World of Warcraft." And as you might expect, he's keen on swinging a sword in director Sam Raimi's adaptation of the property, "Warcraft." To which I have one thing to say. Sweet.

Tags Brandon Routh, sam raimi, Video, Warcraft

San Diego Comic-Con has sadly preempted some of my daily features here on MTV Movies Blog (sorry Prop-Watch, Around the Blogosphere), but the avalanche of coverage makes this a good week to launch a new one. Every Friday, I'll be running through the preceding week's top stories (Friday through Friday, FYI) on MTV Movies Blog. As you might expect, a lot of the most clicked content for the week relates in some way to San Diego Comic-Con. Don't take my word for it though; let's let the list tell the tale.

Counting down of course...

#10 "Tron Legacy" Panel Report Fresh From San Diego Comic-Con -- Just as the title suggests, one of our writers on the ground at Comic-Con runs through the highlights of the "Tron Legacy" panel. Read more...

Tags alice in wonderland, harry potter and the deathly hallows, sam raimi, tim burton, tron, Tron Legacy, Warcraft, World of Warcraft

These are the days to be a nerd. No longer is the geek shunned. He is celebrated! Comic book movies like “The Dark Knight” are considered high art, fantasy like “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” rule the hearts of millions and the sci-fi goodness of J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” is the toast of 2009. Yes, it is a good time to be a, as they say in Latin, dorkus malorkus.

Hollywood hasn’t been very kind to one corner of the nerd world however. Video game adaptations do not have a history of quality, thanks to early ‘90s monstrosities like “Street Fighter” and “Super Mario Bros.” Then there's Uwe Boll, who has single-handedly made this sub-genre a wasteland of bad special effects, sub-porn-level dialogue and cruelty to great actors. What did Ben Kingsley do to deserve being in “Bloodrayne”? Read more...

Tags brad bird, David Lynch, guy ritchie, john woo, sam raimi, sofia coppola, Warcraft, World of Warcraft

Today the Internet is buzzing with the news that "Spider-Man" (and "Evil Dead"!!!) director Sam Raimi is taking the reins on an adaptation of the wildly popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game "World of Warcraft." The game (and presumably the movie as well) is set in Azeroth, a fictional fantasy world created by the game's developer, Blizzard Entertainment. There have been Azeroth-based games since 1994, though the MMORPG didn't launch until late 2001.

"Warcraft"'s world is a sort of Dungeons & Dragons/"Lord of the Rings"-inspired setting. There are dungeons of course, and dragons, as well as the usual helping of elves, dwarves, orcs and other non-human fantasy races. "The Lord of the Rings" did fabulously well when Peter Jackson adapted the books for an epic-length trilogy. The movie version of "Dungeons & Dragons," not so much. What might we expect from Raimi's "Warcraft"? Read more...

Tags sam raimi, spider-man, Warcraft, World of Warcraft

With just a single announcement, a "World of Warcraft" movie went from an eye-rolling geek joke to something any film fan wants to see. What was that stroke of greatness? Sam Raimi!

According to Variety and Ain't It Cool News, the director of a thousand genres has signed on to helm "Warcraft," a live action adaptation of the wildly popular online role-playing game for Warner Bros. The project has been in limbo since Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures teamed up with Blizzard to develop the game into a big screen adventure. Things have gotten serious now, with Raimi and Charles Roven, producer of "The Dark Knight," both confirmed to be on board. Read more...

Tags Blizzard, charles roven, sam raimi, spider-man 4, Warcraft, World of Warcraft