TSRn: Duncan Jones Chosen to Direct 'Warcraft' Movie
The Scorecard Review news
News: Duncan Jones, director of Moon and Source Code, is set to direct a live-action adaptation of the “Warcraft” video game universe. Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Thoughts by TSR: Moon was among my favorite films of 2009, and I really enjoyed Source Code, but I’m still a bit torn on this news. I generally have mixed feelings when it comes to directors I love doing stuff like this. Back when Darren Aronofsky was attached to The Wolverine, I was similarly of two minds. On the one hand, a director like that gets me excited immediately. On the other, I’d much rather see them spending their time on something else. Does Duncan Jones make me care about a “Warcraft” film? Yes. Would I prefer he do something like the long-gestating Mute instead? That gets a more emphatic yes.
None of this is specifically about “Warcraft." Most of my familiarity with the property is from the “World of Warcraft” episode of “South Park.” To hear it described, it actually sounds rather entertaining. THR makes it sound like a club Stefon might be talking about on “Saturday Night Live”: “part fantasy, part science fiction and — depending on the game you’re playing — includes elements such as dragons and orcs, zombies and werewolves, and aliens and spaceships.” I could get on board with that brand of craziness. This thing is expected to have a budget over $100 million, so that’s an enormous leap for Jones (whose last film was around $35 million). Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond, K-PAX) wrote the screenplay, and Legendary Pictures is looking at a fall 2013 start for a 2015 release.
I didn’t expect to be too interested in this film. With Duncan Jones at the helm, however, I’ll definitely be paying attention. Hopefully it's big enough to get some more original stuff off the ground.