One of the most successful gaming franchises today is coming to the big screen under the direction of a man with a legitimate shot of doing the property justice.
Variety is reporting Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have hired Spider-Man’s Sam Raimi to direct Warcraft, based on the wildly popular World of Warcraft MMPORG series of videogames. Warner Bros. Pictures will co-finance and distribute the film.
World of Warcraft that sucked thousands upon thousands of ordinary people into its persistent online world where the Alliance battle the Horde. The series has long been rumored headed to Xbox 360 or PS3 but, as of now, remains PC exclusive.
Raimi is gearing up to begin working on Spider-Man 4 in the new year. Once that is completed, he is expected to shift gears immediately into Warcraft. By then a script should be in the can, though a scribe has yet to be brought on board to the project.
World of Warcraft has enough of a following that if handled properly, i.e. given a sizable budget and free creative reign to Raimi, could launch a franchise of Lord of the Rings proportions. Raimi’s hiring is a good move, folks! The potential new film franchise is in good hands.
